Butterflies and Hurricanes
by Bloodthirsty Muffin
Summary: A hurricane sweeps through Cosmo and Wanda's life: Big Daddy decided that he wants to get to know his son-in-law. Wanda and Cosmo know that a hard test lies ahead of them but it will have more consequences than they expect.
1. The lost soninlaw

**THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS:**

**BUTTERFLIES AND HURRICANES**

BY BLOODTHIRSTY MUFFIN

* * *

_This piece takes places after the episode "Talkin' trash" in which Big Daddy shows up for the first time. I'll explain what happened, you don't have to know it. It's one of those episode where Cosmo is total jerk towards Wanda but I ignored that and turned him into the sweet and funny guy we know from the early seasons. I know you'll be shocked but I don't own FOP (or Pokémon). Enjoy!

* * *

_

**Chapter 1 – The lost son-in-law**

Wanda remembered her father's words clearly.

* * *

"_I thought we had overcome our difficulties and all these years you have hidden the fact that I have a son-in-law! I'm deeply disappointed, Wanda," Big Daddy had told her on the phone._

"_I'm…sorry, Daddy…," Wanda had answered sheepishly.

* * *

_

She sighed. It had all begun on the day when she had found out that Cosmo had placed all the garbage Timmy was supposed to bring out underneath the Turner's house. The magic enclosing the garbage had started to dissolve and had caused trouble in the house. They had been forced to ask Big Daddy for help.

* * *

"_Don't you think you should let me know when you get married? I'm your father!" he had complained._

"_I have just tried to protect what I love," she had countered but regretted her rebellion at once._

"_Protect from what?" Big Daddy had answered challenging. Wanda hadn't dared to answer.

* * *

_

He had indeed been able to fix the problem. But then another one had occurred. At this opportunity Big Daddy had found out that Wanda was married and all these years he hadn't had a clue about it.

* * *

"_I want to get to know him better," Big Daddy had decided. "I want to know more about the man my daughter has married. We will meet in your house and I mean your house in fairy world. I want to see what you can afford, not what you can create by magic on earth."_

"_That's…" Wanda had replied but never ended the sentence. She knew her father good enough to know when it was senseless to argue.

* * *

_

Wanda was standing in the kitchen and opened two eggs to add them to the sugar and flour in the bowl in front of her on the table. Tomorrow was the day when her father and her mother would come to visit her and Cosmo. Wanda was terribly nervous.

When the phone rang her worried thoughts were interrupted. Quickly she cleaned her hands on her white apron to answer the phone hanging on the wall.

"Hello?"

"Wanda, is that you? It's Timmy!" the voice began.

"Timmy, sweetie!" Wanda answered smiling and forgetting her worries for one moment. "How are you?"

"Miserable!" was the answer. Timmy sighed. "I miss you."

"Aw…we miss you too."

Their fish bowl in Timmy's room wasn't Cosmo and Wanda's real home. Whenever they resided in fairy world, mostly after they had left a godchild, they lived in a house in a nice town. The rules didn't allow Cosmo and Wanda to bring Timmy to this house. It was a rule which was supposed to prevent certain things.

After losing a godchild fairy godparents needed some time to recover from the loss. Also Cosmo and Wanda knew that this was hardly possible if they always faced a place which reminded them of their godchild. Their home in fairy world should stay a neutral place. It made things easier.

"When will you come back? This weekend my parents will leave me alone again – with Vicky!" Timmy told her obviously almost scared.

"Oh, poor you…," Wanda replied understanding. "We'll be back on the day after tomorrow at the latest. We wouldn't have left you already two days ago if we hadn't had to clean the house. We haven't been here since we're your godparents, you know?"

"Is it really so much harder to use magic in fairy world than on earth?" Timmy asked although he knew he would never understand this inter-dimensional problem.

"It's way harder, sport," Wanda answered. "Although I wish it was different."

"I bet that wish is against the rules. Beware of Jorgen!," Timmy countered and they both laughed.

While joking with Timmy Wanda didn't notice how Cosmo entered the house through the patio door in the living room, his t-shirt sweaty and the knees of his jeans dirty. He moved his hands underneath his t-shirt to wipe away the sweat on his forehead with it.

"The lawn is mowed and the weeding is done!" he called exhausted. He let his body sink on the armchair and leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling. One moment later he heard Wanda coming into the room as well.

"Are you talking to Timmy?" he asked immediately when he had moved his hand to the side. Smiling he stretched out his hand. "Let me talk to him!"

"Seems like he does want to talk to you as well," Wanda remarked sarcastically and handed the phone over to her husband. Then she returned to the kitchen.

"What's up, kid?" Cosmo asked.

"I've beaten your record in _Uncharted 2_!" Timmy announced immediately and very proud.

For one moment Cosmo remained silent, his mouth opened.

"No, you haven't," he contradicted neutrally. Timmy laughed.

"I did!"

"Shall you lie to your godfather?" Cosmo countered acting offended.

* * *

Wanda giggled when she heard Cosmo's parts of the conversation from the kitchen. She added some nuts to mixture which was supposed to become a cake. Humming a tune she took the whisk to use it. When Cosmo came into the kitchen, he replaced the receiver.

"Your godson said he has beaten my record! But that's not possible," he told her sourly and Wanda laughed.

"I'm sure you can convince yourself when we're back with Timmy," she answered and filled the batter into a round baking tin. Only one moment later the egg timer rang. "What a good timing!"

Wanda slipped on the oven gloves lying on the kitchen table and opened the oven to take out a baking tray of chocolate cookies. Before Wanda knew it Cosmo was already standing next to her enjoying the smell of the fresh cookies.

"I totally love your-" he began and wanted to take a cookie but Wanda evaded nimbly and turned away from him to carry the tray to the kitchen table.

"They're for tomorrow," she contradicted. "Besides they're too hot. You'll burn yourself."

"It would be worth it," Cosmo countered and sat down in front of the baking tray to look longingly at the cookies.

"Are you done with the garden?" Wanda asked putting the becoming cake into the oven.

"Yeah. It's presentable. The best we could do within three days," Cosmo reported folding his arms behind his head. "In here we're done as well, aren't we?"

"Yes, every room they could possibly enter is cleaned and tidied up," Wanda answered, closed the oven and adjusted the temperature.

"I can tell you, the garden looked like we hadn't been here in 30 years," Cosmo remarked.

Although they earned enough money to occupy a gardener and a housekeeper, Wanda and Cosmo let their house become overgrown on purpose. As they came normally back to it whenever they had left a godchild, all the housework was a welcome distraction from the loss.

"Better don't tell me," Wanda replied smiling. She took off the oven gloves and sat down diagonally across from Cosmo.

"You would be shocked of what I saw," Cosmo continued. "Weeds, snakes, weeds, bones of dinosaurs, weeds_…"_

They both laughed while Cosmo stood up to go to the fridge, which he opened to take a bottle of soda water. He closed the fridge again and returned to his seat.

"After what I survived I deserve all of those cookies," he hinted looking at the sweets from the corners of his eyes. Wanda laughed again and finally hid her face an her hands when Cosmo took a big gulp from the bottle. He put it in the table again when he was done.

"Don't tell me baking was just as dangerous as gardening," Cosmo remarked when he noticed how exhausted Wanda was.

"A little," she confessed rubbing her temples. "I've been thinking all the time about my parents_…_and_…_I'm so terribly nervous because I know that it won't be easy with my father. For you, I mean."

"Thanks for the warning_…_must be the 50th by now," Cosmo answered a little sarcastically. "You know, the more you tell me about your father, the more afraid I become of him. Don't you think you're overdoing things? Finally somehow I met him already, although it was very short and I'm still alive."

"I'm underdoing, Cosmo," she countered seriously. "Last time you could get off lightly because Timmy was with us and my father can't say or do certain things in front of children. My Dad is angry and although I'm the one who didn't tell him about our marriage, he will take out his anger on you. And if my father gets angry, nothing can cool him down."

She put her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm.

"So, what do you think he's going to do to me?"

"You_…_don't want to know," Wanda mumbled and blew away a strain of her hair. "It's just that_…_whenever I introduced someone to him_…_that relationship was bound to fail." For one moment she thought of the day she had introduced her once very loved ex boyfriend Juandíssimo to her father. But quickly she shook off that thought again. "Don't get me wrong. No relationship I ever had can be compared to _us_. But I'm still so afraid."

Cosmo swallowed before he answered. He played around with the top of the bottle of soda water.

They had been talking about that subject for several days but how Wanda had expressed it this time made him feel awkwardly, almost scared.

"So you think, he could change something between _us_?" he finally asked with a worried voice.

For one moment they looked at each other without batting an eyelid.

A part of him trusted Wanda and what she would answer but he had to admit that the part which was afraid of her reply was a little stronger right now.

Wanda knew she had to answer honestly and she wanted to. When she thought about what to say honestly she was relieved and smiled because her words came easily.

"No, Cosmo. He can't harm _us_," Wanda finally replied with a strong voice. Cosmo was relieved as well and returned her smile. He took her hand and Wanda felt some soil in his palms.

"Then you don't have to be nervous, do you? We're probably going to spend a horrible afternoon with your parents and we'll be suffering a lot but in the end we'll be sitting here and eating what's left from the cake and the cookies," Cosmo predicted.

Wanda sighed. Although she knew Cosmo now for many years she was still impressed by his ability to see things from a simple point of view. In his words many things sounded so easy and Wanda couldn't help but believing him.

Gently she placed her palm on his cheek.

"You're a good husband," Wanda finally replied. Cosmo grinned, his eyes wandering over the baking tray.

"Shouldn't good husbands get cookies?" he asked and laughing Wanda took a cookie to put it between his teeth.

* * *

"Cosmo, could you button me up?" Wanda called the next morning standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom. (In face of the fact that they didn't only live but also work together Wanda and Cosmo had decided that separated bedrooms were the only intelligent thing to decide for.)

"Coming!" she heard Cosmo's voice and his steps coming closer until he entered her bedroom. Wanda turned around and smiled when she saw that he was wearing a Pokémon-t-shirt.

"I didn't know you still got that one," she remarked.

"Neither did I," Cosmo admitted and began to button up Wanda's dress. It was a simple summer dress reaching her knees, with a decent, round neck and no sleeves. It was black and had some pink flowers on it.

"You know you have to change clothes before my parents come, don't you?" Wanda answered looking at his face in the mirror.

"I know. The good shirt, white with blue pinstripes and the good pants, black and those shoes I have worn only once yet," he repeated what Wanda had hammered in his head. "But before, I'll meet Farrell-"

Wanda turned around immediately.

"No, Cosmo, you don't!" Wanda contradicted, more pleading than angrily. "You can't meet him today!"

"But I'm not meeting only him but with the whole band! You know that the last time we jammed was at fairy academy!" Cosmo answered.

Wanda did know. When they had begun their training as fairy godparents Cosmo had met the other members: Felix, Kyle and his best friend Farrell. Together they had founded their band named "Knights of Cydonia" which had been very popular at fairy academy. But when their training a fairy godparents had ended, this had also been the temporary end of the band.

"We haven't seen each other for ages and this is one of the few days we're all in fairy world without having something to do," Cosmo tried to convince her. He had seen that reaction coming.

"Well, you _do_ have something to do, Cosmo!" she reminded him. "I know how you are, especially you and Farrell. When you're together you forget everything, also time. Then you're totally lost in your music or some crazy ideas, some competition of throwing coconuts over the roof."

Back then Wanda had been herself a fan of the band. She knew the band members and and liked Cosmo's friends. But together they often got the craziest ideas.

"Relax, I told them that I don't have much time. I promise we won't do something that could get you or me into trouble," Cosmo answered calmly putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I'd feel better if you stayed_…_" Wanda replied worried but knew that she couldn't convince him.

"You know what the band means to me. Plus: Farrell and I are bestest friends," Cosmo continued. "I'll always keep an eye on my wrist watch, I swear. I will be here on time as true as I'm wearing a Pokémon-t-shirt."

The comparison made Wanda laugh. She turned around again, so Cosmo could do the last buttons. After that she went some steps to her chest of drawers where she took a pair of black nylon hold-ups out of one drawer.

"I guess I'll be so hysteric that in the end I'll start a fight with you," Wanda predicted sitting down on her double-bed. She took on her nylons watching carefully the seams.

"Really, I'll be here on time" Cosmo repeated and sat down next to her.

Wanda kissed him after adjusting her hold-ups. Sometimes Cosmo was a real idiot but if something was serious to her, she could rely on him.

"Well, then get away," she told him smiling. Cosmo grinned as well.

"I won't be late. I swear by Pikachu," he answered.

* * *

Shouldering his guitar in its bag Cosmo rang the bell at Farrell's house. Soon the door was opened and Calista – Farrell's wife – smiled at him. Her hair and her eyes were still as lavender coloured as he remembered it.

"Cosmo, good to see you again!" she greeted him and they both hugged. "Come in, the rest of the band is already waiting for you."

Cosmo entered the house where most of the furniture was still covered with white sheets. Farrell and Calista were also fairy godparents and they treated their house just like Cosmo and Wanda did.

"How are you? And your godchild?" Cosmo asked friendly when Calista had closed the door.

"I'm fine. And Melissa is fine as well. Actually she's so fine by now that she probably_…_won't need us any more soon," Calista answered sadly. "She even gave us this weekend off."

Cosmo put his hand on her shoulder and smiled weakly. He also knew that when a child didn't need its fairy godparents any more, it was only half of a joy. Although the children felt better then, it also meant saying good-bye.

"I'm sorry," Cosmo finally replied.

"You don't have to be. That's the way things go," Calista answered and sighed. "Let's not think about it! What about you? How are you?"

"Can't complain!" Cosmo countered in a carefree manner. "Wanda is in town too. Didn't you know?"

As a lucky coincidence Wanda and Farrell's wife had also become very good friends at fairy academy. The four of them remembered lots of pleasant days together.

"I know. We've been talking on the phone but she had said that she had pretty much to do because of her parents," she told him while they both went downstairs into the cellar where the band would perform.

"Did she?" Cosmo questioned and swallowed. He hadn't known that Calista was also in fairy world and that Wanda had decided against meeting her after a long time. But soon his thoughts were interrupted when they reached the cellar, where the rest of the band already waited for Cosmo.

"There he is! Our guitar hero!" Farrell called cheerfully and got up from his keyboard to be the first one to hug his best friend. "Glad you made it."

"Same here, keyboard legend," Cosmo answered smiling and patting his shoulder. Farrell's dark blue hair seemed just as wild as always which matched his chaotic but loveable character. Cosmo was also greeted by Felix, called the bass giant (which was an allusion to his short size) and Kyle whose byname was the drums master. Felix was a very vivacious and could be a real hothead (which ironically fit his flaming red hair). Kyle was a big and compared with the others a very calm person. His hair was dark brown and his left arm full of tattoos.

"Well, then have fun, guys. I need to go to the supermarket," Calista announced and gave her husband a swift kiss. "Bye."

They all said goodbye to Calista and then asked each other some general questions about their lives and their godchildren.

"Okay, enough of the small-talk!" Farrell decided when the most important things were said. "Let's rock!"

Quickly he went to his keyboard to sit down and stretch his fingers. The others laughed because Farrell's enthusiasm for music reminded them often of a child. But they also had to admit that it was him who kept the band together and had often pushed them forward.

"I bet you've been annoying Calista because of this day for weeks," Kyle assumed and sat down to his drums while Cosmo unpacked his guitar and plugged it in.

"How can she just stand you day by day?" Felix asked sarcastically. He and Cosmo tuned their instruments.

"Well, she's a born survivor," Farrell answered smiling. He knew himself that sometimes his enthusiasm wasn't easy to bear. "Instrument check, please!" They played some tones to coordinate them with each other. "Thank you! Now voice check please!"

Farrell wasn't only the keyboarder of the "Knights of Cydonia". He was also the lead singer and mostly the composer and writer of their songs. Cosmo, Felix and Kyle provided the background singing. They sang some tones into their microphones to warm up.

"_Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti_," Farrell sang and played the fitting tones. Then he cleared his throat and adjusted the microphone. "Sounds pretty good. Shall we begin with _The small print_?"

"Like you haven't planned it already!" Cosmo remarked.

"Oh well_…_" Farrell confessed sheepishly playing some random tones. "Whoever needs his notes is a loser and hasn't been tortured enough by me. Counting please, Kyle!"

They laughed and remembered all the days they had spent practising their songs. Even though Farrell had often been very annoying because of his sense for perfection, the rehearsals had always been fun. Cosmo associated so many events with all of their songs that he probably wouldn't ever forget them totally. The past years he had kept practising now and then and he had played a lot since the meeting had been decided. They all wanted the rehearsal to work.

"All right!" Kyle finally ended their laughing. Smiling they all got ready for playing. "One, two, one, two, three, four_…_!"

* * *

"God, we're so incredibly_…epic!_" Farrell praised his band when they walked upstairs and into the living room again. The hours of rehearsal had been real fun but by now they were also very exhausted. Because of the loud music they all felt a tinnitus in their ears.

"We only need an audience again," Felix commented and sat down on the couch with Cosmo and Kyle. Farrell sat down in front of great piano. Although he had a very expensive stereo system of high quality he seldom played any CDs. He preferred playing on his own.

"Are you saying we should have a comeback?" Farrell asked grinning and began to play a slow and calm piece on the piano. It was relaxing after all the loud music.

"We should gather our godchildren and give them all a private concert," Kyle proposed.

"Would be a good start," Cosmo admitted.

"Yeah_…_but I miss a real audience, you know_…_somehow also the stage fright_…_" Felix confessed.

"All the people applauding_…_" Kyle remembered.

"Shouting for more_…"_ Farrell continued

"And all the girls throwing their underwear on the stage" Cosmo added, which made Farrell stop abruptly. They burst out in laughter.

"I'm afraid you dreamed that, Cosmo," Felix answered grinning. "Unfortunately we never had groupies."

"Well, I did," Cosmo countered proudly. "I married my groupie."

Thinking of Wanda he felt an uneasy feeling in his chest. He looked at his wrist watch. In almost two hours her parents would arrive. While he was having fun with his friends Wanda had prepared the house for the meeting with her parents. She hadn't even wanted to meet Calista for an hour or two. This afternoon meant more to her.

"Well, not even Wanda ever threw her underwear on the stage," Kyle answered.

Cosmo really enjoyed spending time with the other "Knights of Cydonia". But still he felt now like he shouldn't have come today. He felt sorry for leaving Wanda alone. Until now he hadn't realised how much the time with her parents meant to her.

The thought didn't leave Cosmo. He kept looking at his wrist watch again and again. Finally he decided that he should return to Wanda.

"Time to leave," Cosmo finally announced and got up. Although his friends objected, he could convince them that being a good husband and son-in-law was now more important.

Calista, who had come back while they had been rehearsing, was bringing something to drink for the band members when Cosmo wanted to leave.

"Oh, what a pity," she admitted. "If only Wanda had come too. Well, give her my love!"

They said good-bye and assured each other to meet again soon. Cosmo left the house and put his guitar on the back seat of his car. He sighed when he started the car and began to drive home.

_I shouldn't have left her alone with all the preparation. I hope I can still help her a little when I arrive._

When he stopped at a red traffic light he took another look at his wrist watch.

_Hm…I still got lots of time. I could also buy her a little something. Whenever Wanda is nervous it helps her to eat sweets, especially chocolate. She hasn't had her favourite chocolate since her last birthday. That's not cheap but…oh, who cares?_

The traffic light turned green and Cosmo stepped on the gas. At the next crossroad he turned left instead of right which would have been the direct way home. He smiled.

_Wanda is right! I'm really a good husband!

* * *

_

When Cosmo entered the chocolaterie he felt a little out of place. In his jeans and Pokémon-t-shirt he didn't fit to the noble shop and the sales assistant with the black vest and a red bow tie. Nevertheless he greeted him politely and began to look around. Soon he found the red chocolate box which contained Wanda's absolute favourites. It was squared and had a white bow on it.

_I'm sure Wanda will love it!_

He took one of the boxes. For a while he focussed it and imagined Wanda's reaction when he came home again.

"_Oh, Cosmo. You're back already?" Wanda asked surprised when he entered the kitchen where she had just made some tea._

"_I am, woman," Cosmo answered with an unusual deep voice. "And I brought this for you."_

_With a casual gesture he handed the chocolate box over to her._

"_Oh, Cosmo! You bought my favourite chocolate?" she asked and pressed the box to her heart. She put it on the table and turned around again. Suddenly she put the back of her hand melodramatically on her forehead and closed her eyes. "Oh, Cosmo!"_

_Wanda almost fell but Cosmo caught her with one hand around her waist._

"_Oh, Cosmo! You're such a good husband!" Wanda sighed longingly. "As a reward I shall make love to you. Here and Now."_

_Cosmo grinned heroically and put his finger on her lips._

"_No, woman. Let me make love to _you_," he replied manly and moved his face towards hers._

"_Oh, Cosmo…" Wanda whispered closing expectantly her eyes._

Cosmo, who didn't realise that his imagination was very far-fetched, stood around gaping and grinning like the idiot he often was.

_Kitchen table sex…_

"May I help you?" the sales assistant interrupted Cosmo's thoughts. He started and tried to get used to the real world again.

"Uhm_…_I'd like to buy these_…_for my_…_wife," he stammered clumsily and raised the chocolate box in his hand.

"Of course, Mister," the sales assistant answered as professional as possible. He wasn't the first one to wonder what was going on in Cosmo's head.

* * *

_Wanda said herself that I'm a good husband. And good husbands shouldn't only get cookies but also love._

When he had left the shop again he couldn't forget his daydream. While driving home he realised how much he liked the imagination and that he really felt like making it coming true. The longer he thought about it, the more he felt a well-known, pleasant feeling which made him smile. When he came home, Wanda would also know what this smile meant.

He looked at his wrist watch again when he had turned right on his way home.

_30 minutes until they arrive… We better make this a quick one._

When he finally came home and parked in front of the garage he was still totally lost in his thoughts about how to convince Wanda the shortest way. He wanted to leave the car and almost forgot the chocolate box on the passenger seat.

_Well, as we don't have much time I better go for it, straightforward._

Cosmo liked the idea of being the man he had been in his daydream. With quick steps he went towards the door, opened it and closed it again after entering. Without thinking he threw his keys on the cupboard in the foyer and slipped off his shoes. He already felt himself becoming more and more impatient. The words just passed his lips while walking through the house.

"Woman! You better get naked because your husband is incredibly horny and eager to mount you_…_!" he called loudly and crossed his arms grabbing the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it up already but he stopped suddenly when he entered the living room. Nervously he let his t-shirt sink again. He swallowed only with effort and added very embarrassed: "Hello Wanda's parents_…"

* * *

_

_I hope you enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed writing. To be continued!  
_


	2. A father's wrath

_Here we go again! Take a seat, let me give to you a cup of tea, a piece of cake and a BIG muffin for the reviewers! **Cosmo-Superstar, **_**Chimaerical and FutureGirl112**:_ Thank you very much!

* * *

_**Chapter 2 – A father's wrath**

In less than two seconds Wanda had grabbed Cosmo's arm, pulled him inside the kitchen and closed the sliding door violently behind them. The anger he saw in her eyes made him feel afraid.

"Wanda_…_seriously_…_you're hurting me," Cosmo remarked insecurely, looking at his arm she still didn't let go. He was sure her eyes began to glow in anger. She still didn't loosen her tight grip around his arm. Cosmo swallowed and grinned uncertainly. "Was this_…_very_…_bad?"

Wanda's face didn't move.

"You could only have made it worse by ripping off my clothes and fucking me right in front of my father," she answered and Cosmo knew she would have shouted at him if they had been all alone. "Why didn't you answer your mobile?"

"I must have…muted it," he explained clumsily.

"Muted it? Cosmo, what do you think is louder: Your mobile or the music you and your band make?" she countered sharp-tongued. "Besides, you have a mobile to be reachable! So why do you mute it?"

"I'm_…_sorry?" Cosmo began. Wanda let his arm go and turned around, her arms crossed. "But_… _Why are they here already?"

Helplessly he looked at his wrist watch.

"They came 30 minutes ago!" Wanda snapped. When she turned her head she saw his watch. Roughly she took his wrist. "I don't believe it_…_" she commented disbelievingly and smashed down his arm again. "Cosmo, the clocks were changed to summer time _two weeks_ ago!"

Without saying something he opened his mouth. Slowly he closed it again, not wanting to believe the mistake he had made.

"Why have we taken that habit from the humans?" he tried to defend himself knowing this was no excuse. He felt terribly guilty and the disappointment in Wanda's eyes made it even worse. "Wanda_…_please say something."

"What shall I say, Cosmo?" she asked madly folding her arms again. "You _had_ to go to your rehearsal_…"_

He rubbed his hurting arm, knowing that he deserved that pain.

"You were right_…_ I should have stayed_… _ In spite of my watch I would have made it if I hadn't gotten these for you," he confessed honestly.

He looked down at the chocolate box in his hands. Wanda hadn't noticed it until now.

"Are those_…_?" she asked.

"You favourites, yes," he replied deeply regretting his mistake. "I already felt guilty at the rehearsal_… _You know, leaving you alone with all the preparation_… _I left the guys earlier to get them for you_… _I wanted to make it up, you know_…_ But now I've made it as worse as possible."

Gently Wanda took the box out of his hands and focussed it. Cosmo was surprised when he didn't see any anger any more in her eyes but emotion.

"But the only shop where you can get them is at the other end of the town… And you thought you still had enough time?" she questioned quietly.

"Yes_…_enough time to be_…_spontaneous," he admitted. "I thought you'd like it_…_"

Wanda sighed. She was very moved. Although Cosmo had made a mistake he had meant no harm at all. He had wanted to be the sweet and affectionate man she loved.

"I guess_…_I would have liked it," she answered placing her palm on her cheek.

"So…you're not that mad any more?" Cosmo asked carefully. When Wanda looked up again and saw him looking at her with his puppy dog eyes and biting his lower lip, she felt her heart melting. She couldn't be mad imagining how Cosmo had left his band, which meant so much to him, earlier because he had felt guilty and how he had driven to the other end of the town to get her favourite chocolate as an apology. Facing these facts she couldn't even be mad for the words he had called through the house. If they had been alone she wouldn't have minded at all.

"You moron…" Wanda whispered and couldn't help but hugging him after putting the chocolate box on the table. "You sweet, little moron."

She kissed his hair near his ear and put her cheek on his shoulder. A little confused Cosmo put his arms around his wife. He didn't really understand her reaction but he was relieved that her anger was gone.

"I'm really sorry," he repeated. Hesitating he added: "Does your father want to kill me now?"

Like an answer to his question the door to the kitchen was roughly pushed aside and Big Daddy entered the room. Wanda's mother followed him, obviously trying to calm him down without succeeding. Although Cosmo and Wanda had only hugged they loosened their embrace immediately like they had been caught in flagrante.

"This is no way of treating my daughter!" Big Daddy snapped angrily and went towards Cosmo who stepped back until he reached the kitchen cupboards. "Do you always talk to my little girl like that?"

Cosmo grabbed nervously the edge of the counter behind him. He felt like cornered, like there was no escape from Big Daddy's anger.

"N-No…?" Cosmo answered in fear.

"Daddy, please…!" Wanda tried to intervene helplessly. "It…wasn't what you think, Daddy."

"Then what was it?" he asked challenging and still focussing Cosmo. Big Daddy's authority had an unexpected effect on him. He felt like paralysed.

"Look, Daddy… He treats me always very lovingly and respectfully," Wanda explained pleadingly.

"Yes, I saw that!" Big Daddy countered and grabbed Cosmo at his t-shirt. "Is that how you call it? _Mounting_ my daughter?"

"Daddy…!" Wanda called putting her arms around her father's elbow. "Please, let him go! Please!"

Wanda had warned Cosmo about her father's conservative attitude and they both had decided not to show that they saw certain things differently. That decision was now invalid.

"This really came out wrong!" Cosmo tried to convince him. "I wasn't serious! We don't even have sex! We live in abstinence!"

Wanda covered her face.

_Think of something believable!_ she thought.

"I have never thought of Wanda that way!" Cosmo continued. "I never would! I mean, I couldn't ever think about Wanda like about any other woman…"

"You think about other women?" Big Daddy interrupted him, shook off his daughter and wanted to seize him by the throat but Cosmo could escape and took shelter behind the kitchen table in the middle of the room. "How dare you cheating on my daughter!"

"Daddy!" Wanda cried again but he didn't listen.

Big Daddy followed him and stood at the opposite side of the table. Every time Wanda's father tried to go around the table to reach Cosmo, he evaded to another side.

"No, no, no! I wouldn't, I couldn't ever cheat on her!" Cosmo countered helplessly, his hands on the table. As soon as Big Daddy moved, Cosmo would have to keep on escaping. "I mean, Wanda is indeed the epitome of attractiveness! It's very hard to resist her…uhm…"

For one moment Cosmo looked to Wanda and for only one second his eyes focussed her body. Big Daddy noticed that second and took advantage of Cosmo's distraction to grab his t-shirt from the other side of the table. He pulled him around it and then pushed him against the fridge.

"Her what?" Big Daddy demanded to know angrily. "And why do you have such thoughts if you live in abstinence?"

"Okay, that was a lie!" Cosmo confessed fearing his death. "We're like rabbits!"

"Like _what_?" Big Daddy asked and drew back his fist for a blow.

"ENOUGH!" Wanda shouted so loud that Big Daddy couldn't help but paying her attention. She didn't know herself where she took the strength from to separate her husband and her father. Trying to protect Cosmo she took his hands and hid him behind her back. Cosmo felt that Wanda's wet hands were shaking.

"D-Daddy, we're both adults and as an adult woman I can decide certain things on my own!" she stated with a loud but insecure voice.

"I'm your father! I have to defend your honour!" her father shouted.

"You don't have to defend it because it's not in danger!" Wanda countered grabbing Cosmo's hands tighter. "Cosmo is a very good husband!"

Again Big Daddy tried to reach for Cosmo but Wanda went with him two steps back. Big Daddy breathed angrily and tried to sound more calmly but still his voice trembled and his eyes sparkled in anger.

"Sunshine, if he forces you to do things you don't want-"

"No, he doesn't!" Wanda replied immediately. "He never has, he never would, he never will!"

"Wanda, you've got to tell me. I'm your father," he tried to convince her, stepping towards her but this time Wanda didn't move back.

"There is nothing to tell," Wanda answered, as strongly as her voice let her.

"Are you sure?" he asked suspiciously.

"I don't need to be sure. It's a fact," Wanda countered, trying to brave her father's gaze. It wasn't easy. Her father's eyes had the power to force her to her knees. If he kept looking at her like that, she feared she would maybe even lie. But now she had to prove all her strength for Cosmo. She continued calmly but clearly although her voice was still shaking. "Daddy, you are now going to calm down and you will accept that these things are none of your business."

"Are you commanding me?" her father asked challenging. Wanda knew that in his opinion she should now – as she was his daughter – be the inferior one. There had been a time when Wanda had been his good girl who hadn't dared to rebel.

"I am _asking_ you – with respect - to act like a guest. Because this is what you are today in our house. A guest, who we welcome but who we also want to show his respect to us and our hospitality," Wanda explained still holding on to Cosmo's hands.

"Wanda, I am still your father-"

"And as such you will follow my request. My _request_, not my command," she emphasized. She knew that her father's anger wasn't soothed yet, which was why she chose her words carefully.

The tensed silence was interrupted by an unexpected sound. It was Wanda's mother who hadn't taken part in the fight at all and who was now clearing her throat. From her smile Wanda knew that she did what she could do best: Acting like nothing had happened.

"Please do her that favour, honey," she remarked friendly but obsequiously. Her tone made Wanda angry because her mother had sounded like Wanda had just been asking for sweets at a funfair. "The tea is getting cold."

Wanda was annoyed but her mother's attitude to play down difficulties. She rolled her eyes and decided to take the lead again.

"Daddy, let's have a new start. You didn't come here to fight but to get to know my husband better. Having tea and cake, not beating him up," Wanda answered bravely although she couldn't deny that her whole body was shaking. She decided to use an argument which would hopefully work with her father. "We shall do it according to plan."

Wanda still didn't give in to his gaze, which tried to command her to be quiet and step aside. Big Daddy had to face the fact that Wanda wouldn't give in although it hurt his pride.

Wanda's mother went towards them and still smiling she put her arm around her husband's.

"Think of the tea, honey. And the cake and the cookies. I'm sure Wanda prepared them for you with lots of love," she added and still her voice was as sweet as sugar. Wanda despised her mother for always playing the role of the good wife who is inferior to her husband. Even now she didn't know any other way to calm Big Daddy down than being subordinated. Once Wanda had decided never to become her mother. But for the sake of peace she didn't want to confront her with these thoughts now.

Although Big Daddy breathed out angrily everyone knew that he was involuntarily accepting his daughter's words. Only now Wanda's mother dared to stretch out her hand friendly.

"I'm Cynthia," she introduced herself smiling at Cosmo. Hesitating he came out from behind Wanda's back and shake hands with her. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Cosmo answered, relieved that his mother-in-law wasn't as scary as Big Daddy. "I'm Cosmo."

"A new start," Wanda's father interrupted the friendly atmosphere between Cosmo and Cynthia. He also stretched out his hand to Cosmo but Big Daddy's angry gaze let Cosmo know that he wasn't save yet.

He swallowed and only slowly he also took his hand but shrieked when he finally shook it. Ignoring Cosmo's pain Big Daddy went past him together with his wife. While they walked into the living room again Cosmo bent down pressing his hurting hand against his chest.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked worried and put her hands on his shoulders. When Cosmo looked up she saw tears of pain shimmering in his eyes.

"Call an ambulance…!" he whispered twisted in pain.

Comforting Wanda caressed his arms while he recovered from the pain. When she turned her head to Big Daddy who took seat in the living room again the way he looked at her made her feel afraid. Quickly she turned to Cosmo again. She could only imagine how much offence he took at her rebellious attitude.

As long as she was his good girl who never contradicted her father, he was a very loving and caring person. He had even spoiled his daughters a bit when they had been children. When she had been his good girl, who wrote good marks, always came home from parties not later than at midnight, let him decide about the people she associated with and didn't even think about the other sex, he hadn't ever looked at her like this. He had bought her every doll, toy and jewellery she had asked for. He had anticipated her every material wish. But since Wanda had decided that this wasn't worth the price she had to pay, things had turned more difficult.

Gently she kissed Cosmo's cheek.

"I can do you a bandage if it still hurts when they're gone," she suggested. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah…" Cosmo answered hesitantly and began to move his fingers carefully.

"You have to be a strong man now," Wanda whispered and took his healthy hand. She let Cosmo go ahead into the living room. Meanwhile Cosmo still focussed his wound. Although he hadn't suspected that his father-in-law would love him, he had thought he wouldn't do anything that could make Big Daddy hating him.

When they had entered the living room, Cosmo realised that he would be the one to take seat next to his father-in-law as Wanda was following him. He tried to sit down before reaching the empty space on the blue corner sofa next to Big Daddy but he felt how Wanda pushed him forward. The imagination of sitting next to Wanda's father was awkward to both of them but Wanda had to admit that she was even scared.

Involuntarily Cosmo sat down next to his father-in-law whose gaze let him know that he wasn't finished with him yet. Cynthia was sipping elegantly from her cup of tea while her husband examined Cosmo's appearance suspiciously. He knew that his clothes were now definitely not appropriate as he hadn't had a chance to get change now. Even without Big Daddy's gaze Cosmo would have felt out of place next to his father-in-law wearing an expensive, dark suit, his mother-in-law in a knee-length, dark blue skirt and a white satin blouse with a silver brooch on it and his wife in a pretty summer dress.

Cosmo felt Big Daddy's doubting eyes wandering over him. Without saying something he criticised Cosmo's worn, dark green chucks, his casual jeans, the brown leather bracelets around his wrists, his rebellious hair style and his colourful t-shirt with Pokémon on it, which seemed like very strange cartoon figures to Big Daddy.

"So, what's the reason why you're late anyway?" he asked and no one could deny his challenging undertone. From the way Wanda put her hand on his shoulder Cosmo knew what she wanted to say: Don't tell the truth.

"I've been…" Cosmo began thinking feverishly about a believable lie. Nothing came to his mind. "I've been donating my kidney."

"Donating your kidney?" Big Daddy questioned disbelievingly. He knew it wasn't the truth.

"Yes…for the fourth time," Cosmo added seriously, not aware of the nonsense he was talking.

"Why don't you have a cookie, sweetheart?" Wanda interrupted the conversation before something worse happened and crammed one of the chocolate cookies into Cosmo's mouth. He chocked and coughed hammering his chest until he could breath again.

"Yes…I love your cookies," he commented sourly for almost suffocating him. While doing so Big Daddy drank out his cup of tea and put it on the coffee table in front of him. Wanda noticed that and moved her face to Cosmo's ear.

"Would you be so kind?" she whispered looking to the empty cup again. Cosmo was a bit confused for asking him to do it although Wanda had seen it before he had. Nevertheless he topped up his father-in-law who was still sceptical but obviously satisfied with Cosmo's reaction.

When he put the porcelain teapot on the table again and leaned back, he noticed why Wanda had asked Cosmo for that favour. Her folded hands were shaking like she was terribly afraid.

* * *

The following conversation was as tough as bubble gum.

While they tried to talk about the weather and the journey of Wanda's parents, Cosmo noticed that Wanda's mother didn't participate in the conversation at all. She just sat there next to her husband, sipping from her tea, eating very slowly the only piece of cake she would have this day and checking now and then her mobile phone or her make-up.

Wanda had been telling Cosmo so much about her father that Cosmo had asked Wanda hesitantly if her mother would come as well. When he had asked her why she was talking almost not at all about her mother, Wanda has answered bitterly: "_What am I supposed to tell you about a woman without character_?"

Cosmo had thought that Wanda couldn't be right. Now he wasn't that sure any more. Cynthia didn't even try to state her opinion about Wanda's marriage – if she had one. Her curly, light pink hair reminded Cosmo of Wanda's but this seemed to be the only resemblance. Cosmo had to admit that she was probably the perfect wife for Wanda's father. She was pretty, elegant and her outward appearance was flawless. She was very thin and her long hair was bound together to a pigtail by a fashionable slide.

Wanda had told Cosmo that she always took care for the customers in Big Daddy's company. Outsiders might think that it was a sign of her emancipation. In Wanda's opinion Cynthia had only done what she could do best: Being friendly and polite. Her position never had anything to do with responsibility. She left that to her husband. The only thing she did was smiling.

"_That's all she can do, you know_?" Wanda had added some days ago. For her Cynthia had never been a mother. Wanda had never felt like her daughter but like another customer. There had never been more to their relationship and Wanda knew it would never be.

"Well, but enough of the small-talk," Big Daddy finally decided clearly. "That's not what I came here for."

"Of course not," Wanda answered sheepishly and took Cosmo's hand again. He didn't really understand Wanda's reaction. Earlier she had braved her father with so much courage and now she behaved like she was inferior to him. She hadn't even dared to sit down next to her father, she was hiding behind Cosmo.

"Well, then what is it you came for?" Cosmo asked bravely. Something had to be going on if Wanda fell back into her role of his obsequious daughter. But Cosmo knew that for that reason he couldn't surrender as well. He had to be strong enough for the two of them, like Wanda had been when she had protected him.

"I've come here to find out what I've missed in my daughter's life," Big Daddy replied and the reproach in his voice was like a knife in Wanda's stomach.

Cosmo swallowed and pressed Wanda's hand tighter, letting her know that he would stand the cross-examination together with her. Wanda noticed this as well and although her father gave her a critical look she pressed herself closer to her husband.

"Then just ask," Wanda answered insecurely. The following conversation wouldn't be easy but Wanda was ready to go through it for she knew: She was not alone.

* * *

_I hope you liked it. Don't forget that reviewers get muffins,** BIG** muffins. And muffins bring happiness._


	3. Sweet memories gone sour

_Sorry for the long wait, guys! Of course I serve tea and cake again for all of my readers which are from: the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Canada, the U.K, Sweden, Poland, Singapore and Austria**. **Isn't internet a great thing? And of course as I promised there are **BIG** muffins again for my gracious reviewers: _

_**Chimaerical, CalmingChaos, FutureGirl112 and Cosmo-Superstar. **Thank you very much!

* * *

_

**Chapter 3 – Sweet memories gone sour**

"How did you meet?"

"When did you move in together?"

"Why have you decided to become fairy godparents?"

Big Daddy asked Wanda and Cosmo several things about their lives. They felt like cross-examined, like they could say something that would let Big Daddy convict them of a non-existing crime. Still they answered every question truthfully.

Wanda sensed which subject they had reached when her father twisted his face even more.

"Tell me the story about your engagement," he demanded crossing his arms.

Simultaneously Cosmo and Wanda turned their heads to each other. They couldn't help but smiling.

"That was…ehm…" Wanda began and moved her hand to her mouth when she giggled. Cosmo swallowed the cookie in his mouth.

"It was absolutely unromantic," he ended Wanda's sentence still looking at her. He leaned back and laughed. Lost in the memory they forgot who they were telling the story. "It was in a supermarket and we were standing in line."

"It was a terrible day!" Wanda added smiling dreamily. "Until then."

"We had gotten up too late and there was almost nothing in the fridge any more and the supermarket was _so full_! Like the whole town had been there," Cosmo told.

"And I looked so creepy!" Wanda interrupted him covering her face.

"You didn't," Cosmo contradicted.

"Yes, I did. I didn't wear any make-up and all of my good clothes were in the wash. I even had to wear one of your pants." She gave him a nudge. "And my hair…! Oh god! Ugly me!"

"You looked pretty," Cosmo tried to convince her. "Just in a…different and unusual way."

"I guess that's supposed to be a compliment," Wanda answered laughing and turned to her parents again. For one moment the uneasy feeling in the room was forgotten – at least for Wanda and Cosmo. "Anyway: We were standing in line and the line was so damned long and they just didn't open another! And one guy tried to pay by credit card and it didn't work and he just didn't want to pay by cash. And then there was that old guy who told the cashier the story of every coin in his purse!"

"Don't forget the crying baby! And the puking kid right behind us!" Cosmo answered and gained disgusted looks from Wanda's parents. "Well…we could evade narrowly."

"And we still had that appointment at the ministry and we were so sure we would be late. All in all we were simply…" Wanda began and then turned her head to Cosmo looking for the right word.

"Pissed," he finally expressed what was going through Wanda's head. Only after saying it he realised that it had been very inappropriate in presence of his parents-in-law.

"Yes, that's the right word," Wanda admitted smiling. Cosmo put his arm around her and Wanda hugged him as well. Both were laughing because of the memory. Back then Wanda had often thought about marrying Cosmo. Every time they had spent a moment together which was only a little romantic, she had hoped that Cosmo would ask her. Every time he took something out of his pocket she had hoped it would be a ring. Of course nothing like this had come to Cosmo's mind and every time she tried to give him a hint he hadn't gotten it.

"And then?" Big Daddy asked a little confused. He couldn't understand that they seemed happy telling a situation that was so gross.

"I was taking out all of our things…and I was so angry that he didn't help me," she answered hitting Cosmo slightly.

Some weeks before that day Wanda had declared her love to Cosmo in a new, deep and very romantic way. She had chosen so many beautiful and tender words that Cosmo had been speechless by her eloquence. Since that day he had been thinking about how to return her declaration of love not by saying: "It's the same way I feel." But as Cosmo hadn't ever been good with words, nothing had come to his mind.

"And then the question just slipped out," Cosmo ended the story. He laughed remembering Wanda's facial expression after realising what he had said. If she had been a cartoon figure her eyes would have popped out of her face.

"Hell, _why_?" Big Daddy asked uncomprehendingly. "That was a terrible situation!"

"It was," Cosmo admitted simply. "But…I didn't care…because…Wanda was with me."

When he had realised that he wouldn't have cared spending the whole day in that supermarket under these circumstances as long as Wanda was with him, the words he needed for his deceleration of love had suddenly come to his mind. It hadn't been as perfectly shaped and long like Wanda's. It had consisted only out of four words but it had been the words that had exactly expressed what he felt. Four words that had made Wanda very happy:

"_Will you marry me?"_

Big Daddy noticed Wanda's happiness remembering that day but he didn't understand it. As a little girl she had been a dreamer, she had dreamed about so many romantic things. She had drawn pictures of a man kneeling in front of her and stretching out a diamond ring to her that shimmered in the moonlight. The girl he had known wouldn't ever have been happy about a proposal in a supermarket.

"If that's all you can offer to my daughter…" Big Daddy remarked arrogantly. Still he began to ask them questions about their wedding. "How many people were you?" he wanted to know.

"About 50," Wanda answered shyly.

"50?" her father repeated disbelievingly. "Not more?"

"No," Wanda replied hesitantly. Cosmo and Wanda did have no big wedding. They had been in the middle of their training as fairy godparents and they had invited almost only friends and even some teachers from fairy academy. As neither Wanda nor Cosmo had wanted to invite any family members, the guest list had been shorter than in other cases.

"We could also watch our wedding video," Cosmo suggested when he noticed how awkward it was for Wanda how her father criticised their wedding just by his questions.

"That's a nice idea," Cynthia commented smiling and Cosmo had to admit that he was surprised for he had forgotten that Wanda's mother was in the room as well. She hadn't said a word for a long time.

Cosmo was confused when he noticed that not only Cynthia looked at Big Daddy like she was waiting for him to accept or refuse the idea but also Wanda.

"Fine," Big Daddy answered shortly. Like this was the decisively word, Cosmo stood up and went to one of the shelves to take a video in a colourful cover out of it. Then he went to the TV and finally started the video to sit down again. Wanda was relieved when he was back at his seat. Without Cosmo between her and her father she had felt exposed.

The video had been filmed by another friend Cosmo and Wanda had met at fairy academy. Before, Noah had worked at a TV channel which was why the video looked quite professional. _First the place where the wedding took place was introduced. After interviewing the first guests and noticing that the spring weather was perfect, it was Wanda who appeared on the screen. She was already wearing her white wedding dress and Calista – her maid of honour – and her two bridesmaids were putting make-up on her._

"_Now, look at that beauty!" Noah commented when he zoomed on Wanda. "Are you excited already?"_

"_Just a little," Wanda lied smiling happily. "But we're making good time."_

"_Why don't you get up to show us your wonderful dress?" Noah asked going around Wanda and filming her from almost every side._

"_Just a second," Calista commented putting some more rouge on Wanda's cheeks with a powder puff. The mentioned second turned into some minutes in which everyone the room joked around with everybody. They were all looking forward to the wedding. When the girls decided that they had a moment to show Wanda's dress closer to the camera, Wanda got up from the stool she sat on._

_Her dress had a round neck and only short sleeves. Wanda turned around, so Noah could film her from every side and also the bow underneath her back._

"_Film the gems, Noah!" Leandra - one of the bridesmaids - demanded. "We have attached them all by hand."_

"_Every single one?" Noah asked and zoomed on the pink gems at the corset top and the skirt of Wanda's dress which formed a pretty but decent pattern. As her dress was already sparkling enough Wanda had decided against more jewellery. After Leandra had explained every detail of Wanda's dress, Noah decided to leave the girls alone._

_After a change of scene it was Cosmo whose emotional state was filmed. He seemed like he was in the middle of a daydream and not realising what was happening around him._

"_But you know what you have to say when you're asked THE question, don't you, Cosmo?" Noah asked more seriously than sarcastically. Before Cosmo could think of an answer, Farrell – who was Cosmo's best man – rolled up the sleeve of his friend's white shirt._

"_We've taken precautions," Farrell replied and held Cosmo's arm into the camera. Noah laughed when he saw that Farrell hat written the words 'I do' with an felt-tip on Cosmo's forearm. Farrell had done it as a joke and also Cosmo had been laughing and telling Farrell that he wasn't _that_ excited._

"Is that a piercing?" Wanda's mother asked pointing at the screen.

"Ehm…yes," Cosmo answered a little uneasily. Big Daddy bent forward to take a closer look. Now he also saw the little ring at the right site of Cosmo's lower lip.

"You wore a piercing at your wedding?" Big Daddy questioned almost shocked. For him the black tuxedo and the silver ring in his face weren't compatible with each other.

"It's healed up by now," Cosmo replied and didn't know himself why his answer had sounded like an excuse.

For Cosmo the piercing had an important meaning, which also Wanda knew.

He hadn't always been the crazy and carefree person he was by now. When they had met, both Cosmo and Wanda had been very different. Getting his lip pierced had been a huge step for Cosmo. It had meant that he had already lost much of his insecurity and his self-doubts. His ex-colleagues at work and especially his mother had been anything else than thrilled but for the first time in his life Cosmo had been able to say that he didn't give a damn about what others thought.

"A piercing at your wedding…! How can you do this to her?" Big Daddy snapped.

"He didn't do anything to me, Daddy. I liked his piercing. I wanted him to wear it," Wanda answered calmly. Still she didn't dare to look at him and focussed on the screen again. Only under inner protest Big Daddy did the same.

_The wedding began. Cosmo was standing at the altar already. People whispered in excitement and Farrell patted Cosmo's shoulder after leaving him alone at the altar. He went to Felix and Kyle – the grooms-men – to the place where the drums, the bass and the guitar where already placed a little distanced from the altar. They would play their version of the wedding march. As Cosmo was the one who got married it was Farrell who played the guitar this time._

_When Noah zoomed on Cosmo again he still looked like he was mentally somewhere else. He started when the band began to play the wedding march which meant that Wanda was coming. Noah moved the camera to the entrance where the bridesmaids opened the doors. Everyone turned their heads to take a look at the bride who was smiling broadly. The maids went behind Wanda again to take her long veil and carry it together with Calista while Wanda walked towards the altar._

_Also Cosmo grinned when Wanda finally stopped next to him. Still more in trance than consciously he lifted her veil. While everyone took place, Cosmo couldn't stop looking at Wanda. She put her finger on his chin to make him looking straight forward. Wanda had to do it four times while the registrar held his speech which made him and the audience laugh._

_Wanda had to pull Cosmo on his feet when it was time to stand up. When the chairs where put aside, the registrar asked Cosmo the decisively question._

_But he didn't say anything. Only when Wanda gave him a nudge he reacted but he didn't seem to realise what was going on. Farrell hit his arm as well and whispered to him but only when Cosmo rolled up his sleeve and read what Farrell hat written on, he knew what he should say now._

"_I do!" he finally answered. Everyone – also Wanda – was laughing already but no one was really surprised by Cosmo's dreaminess._

"What the…?" Big Daddy began in outrage. "You proposed to her in a supermarket and then _this_? That's disrespectful!"

"It's not!" Wanda contradicted immediately, pressing herself still close to Cosmo. She knew it was senseless to explain to her father that Cosmo had just been himself and that this was something she loved him for. Wanda was afraid again when her father looked at her in an almost threatening way.

"Your dress is very pretty," Cynthia tried to end the tensed silence between them. Only hesitantly they turned their heads to the TV again. Wanda knew that her mother hadn't said that sentence because it was her opinion. In her parents' opinion her dress had to look too simple, almost meagre but Wanda knew that there was no dress she would have preferred to it.

"_You may kiss the bride now," the registrar finally announced when the band members had returned to their instruments to play the wedding march again._

In spite of the tenseness Cosmo and Wanda smiled at each other. One day before the wedding, Wanda had insisted on rehearsing until they had finally developed the perfect wedding kiss. Wanda thought by now that she should have known that these plans were useless. Once again Cosmo had surprised her.

_A little roughly and much more passionately than they had been rehearsing it, Cosmo pulled Wanda to himself and pressed his lips on hers. In the first moment everyone could see the surprise in Wanda's eyes but quickly she forgot about what she had planed and put her arms around him enjoying their first kiss as a married couple. Farrell, Kyle and Felix had already started playing the wedding march again and the guests began to throw rice, confetti and flower petals over them, applauding and whistling._

_The kiss was longer than usual wedding kisses and Wanda had to make Cosmo stop gently. He still didn't take his eyes off Wanda when she took his hand to go outside with him, still in a rain of confetti, flower petals and rice. Outside several photos were taken and many congratulations offered. Finally Cosmo helped Wanda into the car which was decorated with pretty flowers and had a white sheet attached to the back on which was written "Just fairied." When he wanted to close the door, Calista threw herself heroically between the door and the hem of the dress Cosmo would have almost caught._

Big Daddy rubbed his temple.

"This is getting absurd," he commented sourly. "You embarrassed my daughter! Obviously your wedding didn't mean a thing to you! Why did you do this to her?"

"That's not true," Cosmo answered offended but calmly. "Our wedding meant…very much to me."

"And that's why you didn't even listen to the registrar?" Wanda's father countered. This time Wanda didn't dare to brave her father. She remained silent. Still smiling Cynthia bent forward.

"Maybe it was just-"

"Shut it, Cynthia. I'm not talking to you," Big Daddy interrupted his wife harshly. For one moment Cosmo forgot about the confrontation between him and his father-in-law. He was too shocked about the way Big Daddy had been talking to Cynthia. Cosmo knew he wouldn't ever say something like this to Wanda.

Without saying another word Cynthia leaned back again adjusting her skirt. Obviously she wasn't surprised by the way she was treated.

A loud noise made them all focussing on the TV again.

_It was the unpleasant feedback effect on the microphone on a small stage. Meanwhile the bride and the groom had reached the place with the guests where the wedding reception would be celebrated. While Cosmo and Wanda had greeted every guest, the band had brought their instruments to the party and Noah had interviewed some guests about the ceremony._

_By now Wanda and Cosmo were standing on the stage to hold their speech. Again Wanda knew she should have sensed that leaving this to Cosmo wouldn't work. When the feedback effect was rectified, the guests, who were by now sitting at the tables in the hall, were waiting for what the two of them wanted to say._

_A little confused Cosmo looked at the cards in his hands on which were written some keywords. Wanda had to give him a nudge to make him start the speech._

"_Yes…ehm…well…" he started focussing the keywords obviously without reading them. The reason why he was standing on the stage came to his mind again when Wanda whispered something to him. "Oh, ehm…yes! Thank you…thank you and all that stuff…and…ehm…" He paused for another moment and everyone began to laugh again because of Cosmo's loveable confusion. Cosmo laughed himself when he found his voice again. "Guys! I'm married! Can you believe that?"_

_Laughing as well Wanda took they cards out of Cosmo's hand and pushed him gently a little aside to hold the speech herself._

"_I think what my newly married and very confused husband is trying to say is…"_

Big Daddy breathed despising. But he didn't say a word and listened to the speech. While doing so, he had to realise that many things you normally hired people for had been done by friends of Wanda and Cosmo: the video that was being recorded, the photos which had been taken, the cake which had been prepared. Even Wanda's dress had been sewed by Leandra (who was a former tailor), her sister and Wanda herself.

"Why did you let your friends do all that stuff?" Big Daddy asked.

"It was…more personal," Cosmo tried to explain playing around with his hands. "And…ehm-"

"Cheaper?" Wanda's father ended Cosmo's sentence arrogantly.

They couldn't deny that it was true. As they had been right in the middle of their training at fairy academy, they didn't earn much money and only some months ago they had moved from an apartment into a small house near the campus. After looking through the potential costs of the wedding they had even thought about postponing the wedding until next year or maybe even later.

When Calista and Farrell found out about their problem they had insisted on lending them some money they had saved up. First Cosmo and Wanda were sure that they couldn't accept that gift but Farrell and Calista hadn't given up their idea. Finally Wanda and Cosmo had taken the money promising they would pay back everything soon. But in spite of the financial support they had asked their friends to help them with the preparation and to use their relationships from their past jobs.

In the beginning they had to admit that they had been sceptical if it would work out the way they wanted it to. But all of their friends had made every effort and although the wedding hadn't been as extravagant as many other ones, the day had turned out to be perfect- thanks to their friends.

"Primarily it was more personal," Cosmo answered insecurely.

_After unpacking the presents, eating, cutting the wedding cake and some toasts of the guests, it was time for the first dance. Farrell, Felix and Kyle had already gotten ready for playing Cosmo and Wanda's favourite song to which they wanted to dance. Surprising to everyone Cosmo didn't step Wanda's feet although the way he danced looked a little wooden. When the song was finished, the guests applauded, especially to Cosmo for not getting in mess this part of the wedding as well._

_After the first dance many other couples joined them. As Calista had been able to convince Farrell of celebrating his best friend's wedding in another way than making music for him, also the band members finally joined the party as guests. Instead of the live music they played some CDs they had arranged before._

_Soon the classic way of dancing was dominated by the more casual style. People laughed, joked, ate and drank. Now and then some of their friends provided another speech, a sketch comedy or a song (the latter of course in Farrell's case)._

_After interviewing Calista about her love to the chocolate fountain at the buffet, Noah came back to Cosmo and Wanda. By now Cosmo had taken off his black jacket and his green bow tie. They sat next to each other on their chairs and Wanda had put her legs on Cosmo's to give her feet a rest. Everyone had asked her for a dance and it had been very exhausting but Wanda enjoyed being in the spotlight._

"_Hello newly-weds!" Noah greeted them cheerfully. "Are you enjoying your party?"_

"_Of course!" Wanda answered and kissed Cosmo's cheek for the camera._

"_Everyone else does too," Noah told them when Wanda took her glass of sparkling wine in front of her. "Is there something that you're missing? Can we still improve this wonderful day?"_

"_We're not missing anything. Everything is perfect!" Wanda replied happily. Cosmo – who was still fascinated by his bride – caressed her calf which was covered by her dress. He had a lot of fun with the guests but every time he was with Wanda again, he wasn't responsive any more._

"_Really? You're not missing anything or anyone?" Noah questioned laughing._

"_Who should we possibly miss?" Wanda countered smiling and took a gulp of sparkling wine. "Everyone we love is here."_

Wanda looked down, her fingertips on her forehead. In thought she cursed herself for telling the truth that directly. Although she didn't look up, she felt her father's sour gaze on her and Cosmo.

_While some of the guests became calmer and a little tired already, others seemed to start the party only now. When it was already past two in the morning, Cosmo and Wanda decided to leave the party. The next day they would start into their honeymoon and fly to the fairy falls. For the journey wanted to have enough sleep and not a too strong hangover._

_They hugged everybody, thanked them for coming and said good-bye. When they entered the car to drive home everyone waved at them and they waved back. After some last words from the guests the video ended with the credits where everyone an their tasks were listed like in a movie._

Before some funny scenes came to show some moments which were too embarrassing to be shown in the actual video, Wanda turned it off. Whenever she and Cosmo had watched their wedding video, they felt very happy remembering this wonderful day. Now that they had shown it to Wanda's parents, they felt uneasy. They knew that they Wanda's parents weren't glad for their daughter's happiest day in her life.

Without the video the room was terribly quiet again. It was like they were waiting for Big Daddy's final opinion about the wedding which couldn't be good. But instead of saying something he stretched his hand out to Cynthia.

She knew what his gesture meant and began immediately to open her purse. She took a silver case out of it, opened it and gave her husband a cigar. She also handed over to him a lighter which he used. Cosmo wanted to intervene and ask his father-in-law to smoke outside but before he could open his mouth, Wanda held him back by pressing his hand.

"Wanda, go and show your mother the garden," Big Daddy finally commanded calmly. Wanda bit her lower lip and Cosmo knew that she was desperately trying to find the courage to contradict. But she didn't dare to.

Without looking at her father, Wanda stood up, let Cosmo's hand finally go and went towards the patio door after giving Cosmo an almost frightened look. He was more worried about her than about himself when Wanda and her mother – who hadn't shown a sign of resistance – left the room to go outside into the sunny garden.

Wanda tried to leave the door ajar but Big Daddy took his wand and moved it slightly to shut it. The message was clear. Big Daddy wanted to talk to Cosmo in confidence.

_Wait a second…he wants to talk to me in confidence – That's bad!_

Cosmo swallowed when he felt his heart beating faster. He felt a sudden shiver when Big Daddy turned his head to his son-in-law as he had considered his wife and his daughter to be far away enough.

Cosmo didn't know what was ahead of him. He only knew it was nothing good.

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_Thank you for reading! Of course I'll bake more **BIG** muffins for the reviewers because I really appreciate reviews. (It gives me the chance to improve.)_


	4. Crushing

_What can I do to apologise for the long wait? I hope I didn't scare you away. If you read "My deepest secret" you may know what ate my time. But now I'm totally into this story again!_

_Today I got **BIG** muffins for **Ekhee**, **ZiggyTheNinja**, **Cosmo-Superstar** (or whatever he calls himself like ^^) and **Sprish16**. Thank you for your reviews! Enjoy your muffins!_

_One more thing: You'll notice that I ignore everything about fairy reproduction that has been said in "Fairly Odd Baby". I did that on purpose and made it pretty "human". (In other projects I plan to ignore Poof as well. I don't like Poof.)_

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**Chapter 4 – Crushing**

Being alone with his father-in-law scared Cosmo more than he wanted to admit. As good as everyone had much respect for Big Daddy – or fear. It was like his eyes could nail Cosmo to the wall, so he was defenceless and had no chance to hide anything.

The relief Cosmo felt when Big Daddy stood up didn't last long. He had taken his eyes off Cosmo but examined now the living room very critically. After inspecting the display case of glass, the TV and some shelves including many of Cosmo's comics and console games he let his finger run over the surface of a sideboard. That he found no dust gave him no reason to complain – unfortunately.

"This house is not worthy of my daughter," he finally stated looking at Cosmo again. "But still I have to admit: It's not the hell-hole I had expected."

That Big Daddy's voice had sounded like he should say thank you now, confused Cosmo. Before he could think of a good answer, Wanda's father had turned to some pictures on the wall after exhaling the smoke of his cigar.

"Is _that_ Wanda?" he asked wrinkling his brows. He recognised her pink hair and her eyes but the rest was totally strange to him.

Cosmo sensed which picture he was looking at. Still he stood up to convince himself of his assumption. He was right.

"Yes…yes, that's her. And me," Cosmo finally replied and couldn't help but smiling. Many people didn't want to believe that this picture really showed Cosmo and Wanda. The picture had been taken before they had visited a concert. They were both totally dressed in black, wore studded belts, boots and bracelets, they had their arms wrapped around each other and stuck out their tongues provocatively. "We knew each other back then for about a year."

"You were part of _that_ scene?" Big Daddy asked disbelievingly. Cosmo knew that it was senseless to explain that his prejudices concerning the Gothic scene weren't true.

"We weren't really part of it. We liked the music. It was just a…phase," Cosmo explained and laughed when he looked at Wanda's ruched skirt, her tights full of holes and her boots with very thick soles. "It was a very rebellious phase. For the two of us."

Wishing he had never seen that picture, Big Daddy took his eyes of it. He moved his cigar between his lips again and turned to another photo.

"Another rebellious phase?" he asked pointing at it after breathing out another cloud of smoke.

"That's…my band after our first concert," Cosmo explained. "And of course Wanda and a friend of ours."

Kyle, Farrell, Calista, Cosmo, Wanda and Felix had put their arms around each other and smiled happily into the camera. The first concert of the band had also been Cosmo's first performance in front of a real audience at all. That it had run even better than a clockwork had made Cosmo very happy and not only him.

"When was that?" Wanda's father asked critically. He couldn't categorise the age of the pictures.

"Oh, probably two years later than the other one. We were in our first year at fairy academy," Cosmo answered remembering a very good time. Like it was a try of making something up, he added: "The Goth thing was over."

In contrast from the first picture, Big Daddy recognised his daughter on this photo. Still the knees of her jeans were ripped off and her t-shirt had a motive of which he wouldn't have thought that Wanda liked it.

He went one step further to take a better look at a third photo. Cosmo followed his eyes.

"That's us on our honeymoon," he explained. On the photo Cosmo was hugging Wanda from behind. She had turned her head to him and had placed her hand on the back of Cosmo's head, so he kissed her. In the background you could see the fairy falls in some distance. "The barkeeper at the cocktail bar took it. We were…regular guests." Only after saying it out loud, he wondered if this had been appropriate to tell. "It wasn't like we were drunk all the time, it was just…drinking a cocktail now and then…"

Big Daddy obviously didn't believe him. Before Cosmo could explain that spending time in that cocktail bar hadn't been about getting drunk but about having a nice time, enjoying a wonderful view and their togetherness, Big Daddy had turned away from the pictures at the wall. He went to the patio door and discovered Wanda and her mother in some distance. Again he breathed in some smoke of his cigar to exhale it some seconds later.

"There were no members of your family at your wedding either," he finally remarked after turning around to Cosmo again. "Why?"

After these words, Cosmo turned his head away quickly. Big Daddy had hit a weak spot. While thinking about an answer, he played around with his hands.

"I'm…I'm an only child," he began with the easy part. "And…I wasn't in a good standing with my mother back then."

Cosmo had ended the sentence like the matter was closed. Big Daddy had a different opinion on that.

"And your father?" he asked directly. He didn't care that this subject was awkward to Cosmo.

Scratching his head, Cosmo turned away. His father was a topic he barely talked about, even with Wanda. It meant too many painful memories.

Cosmo swallowed before he spoke.

"I don't know," he finally answered quickly. "My parents got divorced when I was a child. My father left and I haven't heard anything from him ever since."

"I see…" Big Daddy commented neutrally. He went around the couch to sit down again where he tapped his cigar at the edge of the ashtray. "And you really think, with that experience you can be a good husband to my daughter?"

These words were like a knife into Cosmo's stomach. He had known that all he would hear from his father-in-law were cutting remarks about his marriage with Wanda. He could stand these side-swipes but not if they involved his father, his weakest spot.

Willing not to show how much that remark had hurt him, Cosmo turned around.

"That decision is still left to Wanda," he finally answered clearly.

"You think?" Big Daddy countered arrogantly. "But now I see why family doesn't mean a thing to you."

"What?" Cosmo asked confusedly. Crossing his arms Big Daddy stood up and went towards Cosmo. Although he couldn't fight his authority, Cosmo didn't step back.

"Do you _really_ think that this was okay?" Big Daddy asked domineeringly. "Marrying my daughter without letting me know?"

"Well…" Cosmo began hesitantly. "As it was Wanda who I intended to marry, the main thing was letting _her_ know."

"This is about respect towards the family. A marriage isn't only a connection between two fairies, it's a connection between two families. If you don't think it's necessary to introduce yourself to her family, you don't have respect towards my family. And if you don't appreciate my family, you don't have respect towards my daughter either!" Wanda's father accused Cosmo narrowing his eyes.

"I respected her will!" Cosmo defended himself but he couldn't assert Big Daddy's authority.

"Like when you come home and tell her that you want to _mount_ her?" Wanda's father countered contemptuously. Cosmo could read from Big Daddy's face how much the imagination disgusted him. "You weren't even at your own home when I came. And just look at your clothes! Don't tell me that you have respect for my daughter or my family!"

"I wasn't here on time because of a stupid mistake, if I had been here on time I would have changed clothes and I wasn't serious when I said that I…" Cosmo stopped and let his fingers run through his hair. "That I wanted to…mount her. I mean, Wanda couldn't ever take that seriously! That's just the way we joke around when we're… when we want to…"

Cosmo had no idea how to explain something to his father-in-law that was none of his business. Something inside of him kept him from drawing a clear line and explaining that their sexual life was something between Wanda and Cosmo and nobody else, something he didn't need to explain to another person.

"That is no topic to joke about! In front of all it means responsibility!" Wanda's father countered. Contemptuously he breathed out the smoke of his cigar after inhaling it. "At least this is what it should mean to a man who considers himself mature enough to marry another man's daughter."

"I agree that it means responsibility! And we're totally able to take that responsibility! We exactly know how to…prevent something we…don't plan to happen," Cosmo explained clumsily. Involuntarily he stepped back. There seemed to be no words that could save Cosmo from his father-in-law. Every word about sex made the situation only worse.

"That's the least I expect!" Big Daddy snapped and tapped Cosmo's chest. "Believe me, if you get my daughter pregnant-"

"Not going to happen!" Cosmo defended himself raising his hands. He added to correct himself: "I mean, we're fairy godparents and as such we can't have children on our own! If we have a child, we lose our jobs!"

"Exactly," Big Daddy agreed gnashing his teeth. "You lose your jobs if you get her pregnant. And how do you intend to provide for your wife and your child if you're unemployed? Not that I would let down my daughter, in no case I would. But I don't want Wanda to give birth to child whose father isn't able to supply his own family!"

"Well, as I mentioned: We don't plan to have kids on our own," Cosmo tried to end the topic insecurely. It was a tender subject between Cosmo and Wanda themselves but talking about it to Big Daddy had a new, disastrous effect. Cosmo wanted to turn away but Big Daddy grabbed roughly his arm.

"Don't act dumber that you are! That doesn't have to be something you plan," Big Daddy told him aggressively. Cosmo's eyes wandered to his hurting arm Big Daddy still didn't let go and then back to his father-in-law.

"We…know how to…prevent contraception," he repeated not really knowing if there was any way to calm Big Daddy down again.

"I hope so. Because if you can't even do that, then…you're even a more irresponsible idiot than I thought," Big Daddy countered loosening his grip around Cosmo's arm slowly.

"It's not like that contraception thing is my task!" Cosmo defended himself without thinking. The pain he felt in his arm let him now immediately that what he had said, had been very rashly. "Not _only_ my task, I mean!"

Big Daddy's gaze made Cosmo feel afraid. He tried to look for words to explain that he hadn't tried to put the responsibility down on Wanda. But his eyes full of wrath paralysed him and took away his ability to argue.

"So you think that thanks to a certain pill, you can just screw around and blame my daughter for her pregnancy afterwards?" Big Daddy snubbed.

"Of course not!" Cosmo answered helplessly. "I mean…it always takes two, doesn't it?"

"Indeed!" Big Daddy replied, grabbed Cosmo at his Pokémon-t-shirt and pushed him into the armchair. "And the least I want is a man at my daughter's side who evades that responsibility! A man who wears t-shirts which could be those of a child! A man who can't even be home at a certain point of time when his parents-in-law come to his house! A man who can't control his libido, not even on a day, which means a lot to my daughter!"

Cosmo swallowed and tried to find words for his own rescue. But sitting now in the armchair while Big Daddy stood in front of him in a threatening way, gave him the helpless feeling of inferiority.

"What happened today…isn't…characteristic of our marriage!" he explained gesticulating nervously.

Big Daddy took his contemptuous gaze only off Cosmo when he turned around again. He moved his cigar to his lips, trying too calm down again but when his eyes caught a picture of Cosmo and Wanda on their wedding day, he clenched his teeth and was sure, his anger would never fade away.

"Why did your parents get divorced?" he asked, knowing that he could hurt Cosmo with questions about that topic.

Cosmo started when he heard Big Daddy's words. He sat as straight as a die, his heart pounding strongly.

"That doesn't matter," he countered looking away. Even without Big Daddy's despising voice the question would have hit him. Wanda's father turned around and walked towards Cosmo.

"That's not your decision," he countered aggressively looking down at his son-in-law.

"I said, it doesn't matter," Cosmo repeated, his voice shaking. He pressed his hands, wishing for Wanda to come back immediately. He wanted to stand up, walk away and end this conversation but Big Daddy grabbed Cosmo at his shirt again and pushed him back into the armchair.

"I'm demanding an answer!" Wanda's father replied clearly. Cosmo looked away again. It took him a lot of strength to control his breath. He knew that he couldn't stand the interrogation about that topic for a long time. Big Daddy enjoyed the feeling of cornering Cosmo, that he was about to bring tears to his eyes by that question. "ANSWER ME!"

Cosmo screwed up his eyes when Big Daddy shouted at him, not knowing that Wanda heard her father from outside as well and flinched at the same moment. He wanted to put an end to this torture and hoped desperately that the shortest way was to tell Big Daddy what he wanted to hear.

"He cheated on my mother," Cosmo mumbled quickly.

The following silence tortured him because he knew that his answer hadn't soothed Big Daddy's wrath.

"He cheated on your mother," Big Daddy repeated more clearly than necessary. Thinking about how to use that fact, he had one more puff of his cigar. "Now I see how your marriage is going to end as well."

"No!" Cosmo answered immediately jumping to his feet. In spite of his pain, he continued with determination: "No, never! I am not my father! I could _never_-"

"Mount some other woman who comes along?" Big Daddy interrupted Cosmo.

For one moment it was like Cosmo heard his parents' voices shouting again while he sat upstairs in his room. He remembered his mother's voice shouting until she cried.

"I love Wanda!" he defended himself, trying desperately not to loose himself in the past. Wanda's father laughed at Cosmo.

"Like you could know what love is! If your father didn't show you how to be a good husband, then how do you want to know? Where did you learn?" he countered. "The only thing you could have learned is how to leave your wife for another woman!"

Again pictures of the past stroke Cosmo's head. He saw himself again sitting at the dining table as a little boy. He saw his mother standing in the kitchen who didn't serve the diner because his father wasn't there yet. He exactly remembered his mother crying silently while stirring the soup again and again. Meanwhile Cosmo knew the reason for her tears: She had known why his father had been late again.

"No! I would NEVER do this to Wanda!" he denied loudly although his voice was cracking already.

"It's in your genes. You're a swine, a filthy swine that treats my daughter like dirt. And the peak of it will be that you are going to do the same thing your father did," Big Daddy predicted ignoring Cosmo's resistance but enjoying his helplessness.

Cosmo couldn't control his thoughts. Painful memories rose again in his mind. He remembered the day he had come home from school and discovered his mother sitting apathetically in the living room. He remembered her tears, her aggression, her depression, how she had thrown a glass of tomato sauce after him, how she had turned extremely overprotective some months later – her emotional breakdown from which she still hadn't completely recovered.

He remembered the pain of that time too well, not only his pain but in front of all his mother's. Cosmo knew that he could never be that cruel and get her Wanda into the same situation. Just imagining how Wanda suffered in a similar way because of him tore his heart into pieces.

"My father might be a swine but I am not!" Cosmo contradicted but his will of proving the same became weaker and weaker. His memories were eating him from the inside.

"Spare your breath. I don't believe you," Big Daddy interrupted Cosmo coolly. "You have given me absolutely no reason to take you seriously."

Cosmo wanted to convince his father-in-law at any cost that he was a good husband for Wanda. He obviously wasn't what Big Daddy had dreamed of but he was faithful and although he often caused Wanda trouble, he would never hurt her that way. But all words were stuck in his throat. Talking to Big Daddy was senseless. No matter what Cosmo said, Big Daddy would accuse him of being disrespectful, irresponsible, controlled by his sex drive and just like his father.

He would have been able to stand fighting against him a little longer if Big Daddy hadn't found out Cosmo's worst weakness: his parents' divorce. Now Wanda's father knew how to corner him, how to torture him and he was willing to do so. But before being at his mercy, Cosmo decided to give up. He loved Wanda with all his heart but now her father was too powerful.

Without saying a word, Cosmo let himself sink down into the armchair again. He folded his hands between his knees and looked at the floor. Big Daddy knew how to interpret these gestures: Cosmo had surrendered. Unexpectedly his resignation let him feel a little bit of satisfaction, which calmed him down again.

Having another puff he turned around to put his cigar in the ashtray on the coffee table. After walking towards Cosmo again he pushed him roughly against the back of the armchair. He bent down to him, supported his hands on the armrests and blew him the smoke of his cigar into his face. The cold in Big Daddy's eyes let Cosmo feel a shiver running down his back.

"Now listen carefully to me," Wanda's father began harshly. "When you beat Wanda, when you dare to cheat on her and when you force her to do something she doesn't want to do, I will find out about it. And then… you are dead." When Cosmo took his eyes of Big Daddy, he added with vigour: "Understood?"

Cosmo wanted to say that he hadn't understood because these ideas were so far-fetched that he didn't want to waste a thought on them. But if he didn't say now what Big Daddy wanted to hear, his father-in-law would once more take advantage of Cosmo's weakness. He would compare Cosmo to his father again and again. He would nail him down with arguments which weren't true but which Cosmo wasn't able to fight. Every word about his father would bring back painful memories, which Cosmo wanted to leave behind. He knew he couldn't stand that kind of torture and so he said what Big Daddy expected:

"Understood."

Big Daddy looked at Cosmo a little longer to be sure that he had defeated him. Slowly he straightened up again. Looking down at Cosmo he felt proud for having broken him down. He enjoyed his superiority while walking back to the couch, sitting down again and taking his cigar out of the ashtray.

"Get Wanda and her mother back," he demanded and without any other word Cosmo obeyed. He stood up and went to the patio door to open it and step outside.

When Wanda saw her husband standing at the doorstep, she hurried back to him immediately. She hadn't talked much to her mother. Sometimes they had spoken about the flowers in the garden but most of the time Wanda had been to busy with being worried about Cosmo.

When she was close enough to see Cosmo's face, she knew that her father had done something to hurt Cosmo deeply. She didn't know what to say, not just because her father was still within hearing range.

She took Cosmo's hand but only one moment later he stepped aside. When she followed Cosmo's eyes she discovered her mother right behind her. After going inside again, Cosmo closed the door behind Wanda and his mother-in-law.

"You really have a lovely garden," Cynthia commented like she and her daughter had gone outside voluntarily. "These petunias are from earth, aren't they?"

Wanda didn't take her eyes off Cosmo while she and her mother sat down on the couch again. Only when he walked to the corner sofa again as well, she realised that she should answer.

"Yes…yes, they're from earth," she replied without concentrating. When Cosmo sat down, she exactly knew how to interpret his gesture. When they had sat down earlier, Wanda had wanted Cosmo to sit between her and her father. Now Cosmo had chosen the seat at Wanda's other side. This time he was asking _her_ for protection.

"The tea has gotten cold," Big Daddy remarked. When Wanda turned her head to her father, he was putting his cup on the saucer on the coffee table again. "You should make a new pot of it, Wanda."

"I…" she began without knowing what she was trying to say. Finally she took the teapot, stood up and went to the kitchen. After placing the teapot on the work surface, she filled the kettle with water and turned it on.

Wanda felt a strange feeling inside of her stomach when she put her hand there. How her father always manipulated everyone was beyond her understanding. She had thought by fighting hard for her independence once, she was now free of his influence. But when she turned her head to the living room again and saw Cosmo who had bent forward, it became clear to her that she still wasn't safe from Big Daddy's dominance. Looking at her father how he held once of his expensive cigars in his hand, she wondered if she would ever be.

When she looked at the wall clock she realised that they had already gotten over most of the afternoon. But in spite of the time, Wanda had the awkward feeling that the worst was still to come.

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_That was crushing! May I ask you: Is anyone interested in the story of Cosmo's parents? I have ideas for that._


	5. What if?

_Once again I have some muffins to hand out: __**ZiggyTheNinja, **__**Chimaerical **__and __**Ashfire28.**__ Also __muffins for everyone who added this story to their favourite list. Thank you very much!_

_Prepare for some drama! (I just love the drama, baby…)

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**Chapter 5 – What if…?**

When her father announced that it was time for him and Cynthia to leave, Wanda wasn't as relieved as she had expected to be. The mood had been so dejected that Wanda had been close to ask her father pleadingly and in front of Cosmo and her mother why he was doing this to her. At least she imagined doing so in thought.

Cosmo had barely said a word since Wanda and her mother had come back. As it was Cynthia's speciality to ignore difficulties of any kind and pretend a happy atmosphere, she had been the one who had led the conversation.

She gave Wanda a slight peck on her cheek and shook smiling Cosmo's hand before she got into the car. Then it was Big Daddy's turn to say good-bye. When he hugged Wanda, she felt captured by his arms and she would have pushed him away from her if she had dared to. Only hesitantly she put her hands on his back.

"You know you have to tell me when something is wrong," he reminded her strongly. He loosened his grip to look her in the eyes. "Don't you?"

Wanda wanted to answer that she knew what he was indicating and that Cosmo wouldn't harm her in any way. But instead of telling him that his comments were extremely inappropriate, she replied:

"I know, Daddy."

"Good," he countered and hugged her again and once more Wanda felt locked up. "Good-bye, sunshine."

"Good-bye, Daddy," Wanda answered hoping that he would let her go soon. When he finally did so, he gave Cosmo only a very critical look, which seemed to tell more than Wanda knew. Without any other word he got into the car as well and started the engine one moment later.

Wanda waved after her parents only out of duty. Her eyes and her thoughts were focused on her quiet husband. When the car was out of sight, Cosmo turned around and went inside again. Slowly Wanda followed him.

When she closed the door behind her, she heard the sound of rattling dishes. She went through the kitchen and into the living room where she saw Cosmo doing something she usually had to remind him of: He was tidying up the room and putting the dirty dishes together. He still didn't look at her when he went past her to bring the empty plates, saucers and cups into the kitchen.

It wasn't only the rest of Big Daddy's cigar smoke, which gave Wanda headaches. Although she knew so, she opened the patio door and the windows to air out the room. She brought the pillows of the couch outside and she wanted to do the same with the curtains, the cover of the couch, the armchair if only she could chase away her father's presence. But then she discovered the ashtray on the coffee table. Willing to throw the ash in it away, she took it in her hands but a sudden insight made her stop.

Neither her nor Cosmo were smokers. But as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she had put the ashtray on the coffee table for her father. If their guests wanted to smoke, Cosmo and Wanda asked them to do so outside and put the ashtray there. But she hadn't expected that respect from her father. It had been clear to her that her father was free of Wanda and Cosmo's wish.

Cursing herself and the ash in the tray she walked into the kitchen and emptied it roughly after bending over the bin. Only then she noticed Cosmo. He was leaning against the kitchen sink and looking outside. After putting the ashtray next to the other dirty dishes, she hugged him from behind and put her cheek on his shoulder.

"What did he say?" Wanda whispered hesitantly.

It took Cosmo some time to answer. He swallowed.

"My father," he finally replied shortly. His answer shocked Wanda and she took her cheek off his shoulder.

"What…?" she asked in bewilderment. "You told him…?"

"I had no choice…kind of," Cosmo tried to explain. Wanda understood. She knew her father's means.

"Cosmo…I…" Wanda began feeling sorry for having left him alone with her father. Before she could continue, Cosmo turned around and took Wanda's hands.

"You know that I would never do this to you, don't you, Wanda?" he asked her and Wanda could see the desperation in his eyes.

"Of course I know," she answered immediately. She couldn't believe that her father had found Cosmo's weakest spot and used this knowledge for his advantage. Wanda knew Cosmo's painful memories like she had experienced them as well. When he had told her everything about his parents' divorce, he had been crying in her arms for several hours. It had been the first time he had ever told anyone what had happened back then. "He didn't seriously say that you would do the same thing?"

Cosmo looked down at their hands.

"Yes," he replied quietly. He raised his head again quickly. "But that's not true! I am not my father, Wanda. I am not my father!"

"I know," she assured him gently. She put her arms around him and pressed her forehead against his. "You are Cosmo. You are my husband, my wonderful husband."

Cosmo knew that she was trying to calm him down again. But after having been told what an awful husband he was, it was hard for Cosmo to believe Wanda.

"It's not in my genes," he whispered. When he saw Wanda's questioning look he added hesitantly: "Something your father said."

"What?" Wanda asked confusedly. She took her forehead off Cosmo's. "What did he say?"

He looked away. Cosmo had to force himself to fulfil Wanda's wish.

"_It's in your genes. You're a swine, a filthy swine that treats my daughter like dirt_," he repeated Big Daddy's words. Wanda gasped for air.

"Oh god…" she commented sadly. She could only imagine what it meant for Cosmo being compared to his father. Gently he took her hands off his back and began to move towards the living room.

"I'll just get…the cake and the cookies," he answered but Wanda knew that he wanted to tidy up the living room to keep himself from crying. When he had left the kitchen, Wanda turned around. On the kitchen table she discovered the chocolate box Cosmo had bought for her to apologise for spending so much time with his band.

She went towards it and took it in her hands. Nearly all of their friends knew that Wanda was always happy when someone gave her chocolate as a present. But Cosmo was one of the few ones who knew that this was Wanda's special favourite chocolate. But even if she had had the chance to explain this to her father, she knew that he wouldn't have understood. He wouldn't have wanted to hear any good word about Cosmo.

Realising that tears were rising inside of her, she turned away and went upstairs into the bathroom. After closing the door she sat down on the edge of the bath tub. Only then she noticed that she had taken the chocolate box with her. Gently she put it aside and bowed her head. She had wanted to cry but then she noticed that the cigar smoke had also gone through her clothes. She took one of her curls and moved it underneath her nose to realise that also her hair smelled of her father.

Her father seemed to be everywhere. He didn't let her go.

At once Wanda turned on the faucet, so the bath tub filled up with water. After taking off her shoes and her hold-ups, she stood up and placed her necklace, her earrings and her bracelets next to the washbasin. Roughly she also removed some clips from her hair and opened her dress at the back to let it sink down on the floor. She opened her black bra, took it off and let her panties slip down her legs. After cramming her dark clothes into the basket for dirty laundry, she turned to the mirror.

"I'm grown-up," she told herself and it concerned her that she needed to look at her body to be sure about that. Remembering how aggressively her father had reacted to the fact that she and Cosmo had a sexual life hurt. She saw her own body in the mirror and it was her own decision who she shared herself with.

Feeling her desperation grow, she looked away. The bathtub caught her eye and although it wasn't completely filled yet, she climbed into it and sat down.

"I'm deceiving myself…" she croaked, covered her face and started to cry. One moment later Wanda took a deep breath and dived into the hot water.

No matter what the mirror showed her, she didn't feel grown-up at all. She still felt like her father ruled her life like he had done it until the evening she had a terrible fight with her family years ago. But in spite of the depression she had suffered afterwards, Wanda had built up her own life – together with Cosmo. She had been sure that by now she had grown strong enough to stand a visit from her father. Maybe it had also been some kind of rebellion. After all she had wanted to prove to Big Daddy that she had changed, that she was living her life on her own way and not like he wanted her to.

Wanda heard a low knocking at the door. Only now she realised that the air in her lungs ran short. After coming up, she breathed hard, coughed and rubbed her wet eyes.

"Wanda?" she heard Cosmo's shy voice from outside. "May I come in?"

It took some time until her breath allowed Wanda to speak again.

"Of course," she finally answered.

Hesitantly Cosmo entered the room and leaned against the door. They looked at each other without knowing what to say.

"You should turn off the water," he finally remarked when the water level in the bath tub caught his eye. Wanda moved her hand to the faucet.

"Thanks," she replied. Wanda didn't want to turn her head back to Cosmo. She felt ashamed.

When he wanted to come closer to Wanda, he stumbled over her shoes on the floor. He was surprised when he realised which shoes she had worn and picked one of them up. They were black strappy heels which had a small flower attached.

Cosmo remembered how Wanda had come home one day announcing "I love these shoes!" and revealing that she had bought them without trying them on. She had fallen in love with them immediately when she had seen them through a shop window. But after putting them on, she had called through the house: "I hate these shoes!" Although they had the right size they had turned out to be terribly painful. Still Wanda had considered them as too beautiful to return them.

"Aren't these those shoes you love and hate at the same time? Why did you wear them today?" Cosmo asked.

Wanda sighed resignedly.

"Probably because they go well with my father," she answered bitterly. Once more she felt tears rising inside of her and one moment later she cried again. Cosmo dropped the shoe and knelt down next to the bathtub. He put his arm around Wanda's naked shoulders and laid her head on his shoulder. Wanda clenched his t-shirt, not caring that it became wet because of her.

"I'm so sorry, Cosmo!" she sobbed desperately. "I'm so sorry…"

"But…I should be sorry, shouldn't I?" he asked caressing her cheek. "If I hadn't been late…"

Wanda imagined how the meeting with her parents could have begun. Cosmo would have changed clothes, he would have worn a neat shirt, his good pants and no jeans or a Pokémon-t-shirt. They would have greeted her parents together and her father would have had no obvious reason to attack Cosmo.

Wanda was sure it wouldn't have changed anything.

"Never mind," she replied. "He would have found another reason. This afternoon was meant to be a disaster. I should have known it before. But now…" Once more Wanda was overwhelmed by her tears. "I shouldn't have left you alone, Cosmo! What he said about you and your father…that's just…it's…"

Cosmo wanted to say that Wanda didn't have to worry because he would get over these words soon. But he didn't want to lie to her.

"What he said…isn't your fault," he still tried to calm her down. Lost in thought he played around with one of Wanda's wet curls. It was something he often did, mostly with a childish fascination, which made Wanda laugh. But this time the way he twirled her hair was so strangely sad it confused her.

"What else…did he say?" Wanda finally dared to ask. She raised her head and looked him in the eyes but Cosmo avoided her gaze. Hesitantly he let go of her hair and placed his forearm on the edge of the bathtub.

"You know…he…uhm…threatened to kill me," Cosmo stammered.

"What?" Wanda asked. That action was even for her father very intense. "Why?"

"Oh you know…if I harm you," he explained shortly and mumbled: "When I…beat you or something."

"_You_? Beating me?" Wanda questioned and couldn't help but laughing. She knew that Cosmo would rather beat himself before he beat her. Cosmo was so gentle, he couldn't hurt a fly. He had called a bee Cindy and he had mourned for her after losing her eight seconds later.

"Yeah…ridiculous, I know," he agreed smiling weakly. In a different case he would have laughed as well. "He said _when _I harm you, you know…not _if_."

Wanda felt her smile fading away.

"Don't get me wrong. I exactly know that I will never ever beat you or rape you or cheat on you. Of course not," Cosmo made clear.

"He didn't really say that!" Wanda interrupted him. She couldn't believe how far her father had carried his mistrust. She put her elbow on the edge of the bath tub and covered her face. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry. That's…paranoid!"

Lost in thought Wanda rubbed her temple. In vain she hoped that her father hadn't been serious about these words. While Wanda tried to deal with her father's choleric attitude Cosmo's fingertips played with the water. He took his other arm off Wanda's shoulders and laid it on the edge of the bath tub as well.

"But after all…I do cause you a lot of trouble," Cosmo admitted sadly. "And what if one day…I really do something that will hurt you?"

At once Wanda turned her head to him. Cosmo let his face sink down on his arm. His eyes were focussed on the surface of the water he still played around with.

"Not the way your father predicted it of course," he added quietly. "But…you often have to fix what I mess up. I _am_ a clumsy clot. So what if-"

"Stop talking like that! I love you for who you are!" Wanda stopped him. Cosmo still didn't dare to look at Wanda.

"But you can't love me for being…_a filthy swine that treats you like dirt,_" he repeated Big Daddy's words. "Something that's just…_in my genes_."

Helplessly Wanda gasped for air. In a knee-jerk reaction she rose her hand let it dash down on the water so she splashed Cosmo. He shrieked and started back, landing on his butt. Putting in order his thoughts he supported himself with his hands. Drops of water were running down his face when he looked up at Wanda again.

"Cosmo, you…you've already said a lot of stupid things in your life but this…beats it all!" she contradicted desperately. "I've met filthy swines in my life! Guys who just wanted to get me into bed! Who didn't give a damn about my feelings! These guys treated me like dirt! Not you, Cosmo! _Not you_!"

"But…it's not that far-fetched," Cosmo answered, his voice cracking. He bowed his head. "Back then…I left Mama alone…although I knew what I was doing do to her."

"That was something completely different!" Wanda tried to convince him.

"It was the same thing my father did," Cosmo whispered. He drew up his legs, put his arms around his shin-bones and laid his forehead on his knees. "I'm cruel."

The thoughts her father had implanted in Cosmo wore Wanda down. She rubbed her temples now with both of her hands.

"Your mother had to learn that you have grown up! Besides I know that you have blamed yourself for a long time for leaving her alone! So don't say that you're cruel, Cosmo!" Wanda answered, close to tears.

"But if I could be cruel once, I can be cruel twice," he countered, letting his hands run through his hair. "Or more often…"

Wanda wiped away her tears and swallowed.

"You never meant to hurt your mother!"

"What difference does that make?" Cosmo asked trying to dry his face with his hands. "I don't ever mean to cause any trouble and still I do! I never meant to hurt Mama and I will never mean to hurt you either…"

"Your mother forced you to decide between her and me! You wouldn't have run away like this if she hadn't left the decision to you. It was her own fault! Besides you cause a lot of trouble, yes! How could I deny? But you do not cause me _pain_! There's a difference between causing trouble and pain! You haven't confused these two things throughout all these years. Why now?" Silence spread and again Wanda started to cry. "You're so dumb Cosmo…you're so dumb!" she uttered and although she had said that sentence already very often, she had pronounced it unexpectedly sad this time. Quietly she continued: "Why do you let my father make you think that crap?"

Slowly Cosmo moved on his knees towards the bath tub. He put his elbows on the edge of it and looked down at his folded hands.

"It's just…" he began hesitantly. "These things he said…were simply things you just don't say…even if you don't like someone."

Cosmo knew about his own confusion but this time he was surprised by his naivety himself – something he hadn't considered as possible. Obviously he and Big Daddy hadn't had the best start when they had met for the first time on earth. But he had thought that he could make it up, show him that he loved Wanda and treated her well. He hadn't worried because he knew that this was the truth. Wanda had told Cosmo how much the family meant to her father. As they were married, Cosmo had considered himself as a part of that family. Once Big Daddy had seen that the two of them were happy, Cosmo had thought that they would get along with each other and maybe he could find something in Big Daddy he never had – a father figure.

His hopes had turned out to be foolish.

"What do you mean, Cosmo?" Wanda asked confusedly. Once more Cosmo raised his hand and moved it towards Wanda's hair. Again he started playing around with it, which normally calmed him down and distracted him from his grim thoughts.

"I think…" he replied and swallowed. He tried to say words, which normally weren't used in a serious context. Really meaning them now felt strange. "I think your father hates me."

The certainty behind his words was bitter. He remembered the way Big Daddy had looked at him, the disgust, the anger in his eyes, how he had blown the smoke of his cigar directly into his face, that he hadn't even shaken hands with him at the end of the afternoon. Cosmo was sure: His father-in-law hated him.

"D-Don't say that!" Wanda answered but the two of them heard her insecurity. Cosmo didn't look at her but at her hair. Again Wanda was confused by the sadness in his moves. She missed his childish fascination about her curls, which always made her smile.

But suddenly it became clear to Wanda why his play was so sad.

_What if our time is limited from now on? What if one day he doesn't do this with my hair any more? What if this is the last time?_

Apathetically she watched Cosmo standing up and his hand letting go of her hair. When he turned around to take a towel to dry his face, Wanda was suddenly seized by fear. What her father had done today could have been only the first wedge he had driven between them. Wanda was terribly afraid that her father's hate would destroy her and Cosmo's love.

"I'm sorry, Cosmo!" she almost shouted desperately, jumping up to her knees. Because of her sudden move some water splashed over the edge of the bathtub. He turned around and saw how Wanda started crying again. Drops of the hot water ran down her naked torso. She looked so strangely defenceless to Cosmo: naked, crying and shaking. "Please…please forgive me, Cosmo!" She put one hand on her forehead when she looked down. "What am I saying? There is no forgiveness for what I did…"

"What do you mean?" Cosmo asked confusedly.

"It's all my fault! I shouldn't have let him into our life! I should have lied…I should have told him that we got no time…" Wanda sobbed holding on to the edge of the bathtub. "I shouldn't have given in to him…"

"But…past is past, Wanda. We can't change what happened, so…let's just forget about it!" Cosmo decided letting his hand run through his hair.

"No…it's not past, Cosmo… I'm afraid it's not," she whispered and sank down again on her bottom. "It was…just the beginning."

Normally Cosmo didn't worry if he didn't understand something. But this time he thought he did comprehend what Wanda meant. And it scared him.

"What do you mean?" he asked again feeling his body tensing up.

Wanda put her arms around her torso, still crying and shaking.

"If he returns then…then he'll go on…he'll go on destroying our life…until there's nothing left any more," she predicted. "And he _will_ come back…because he wants me back…because he hasn't forgiven me for what I did years ago. He wants to own me again…"

Cosmo wanted to shake Wanda, he wanted to contradict, he wanted to do anything to chase these thoughts away. But he felt like paralysed. He just stood there, looking at Wanda and gasping for air. He wasn't smart, he had to be wrong. Wanda couldn't mean what he thought.

"What do you mean?" he repeated pleadingly.

Once more her tears overwhelmed Wanda. She hid her face in her hands.

Wanda didn't want to believe it but her thoughts began to eat her from the inside. Whatever she did, it was pointless. She didn't rule her life but her father. He wanted her to get separated from Cosmo and come back to him. The ashtray she had unintentionally placed in the living room had only been the first step. What her father wanted, was her law if she wanted it or not.

Their fate was already sealed.

"It means…" Wanda began, still covering her face. She didn't dare to look at Cosmo and her tears were still uncontrolled. Her lips were shaking when she opened her mouth. Desperately she cried: "We're as good as divorced!"

* * *

_Ouch! The scene in the bathroom was very complicated to write, especially Cosmo's part. (I know, since when is Cosmo complicated?) But I think it worked out well. Don't you?_


	6. Butterfly or Hurricane?

_I do apologise for the long wait. But I'm sure you understand that being treated like dirt makes one extremely uncreative. Maybe the monstrous length of this chapter can make something up?_

_MUFFINS for **ZiggyTheNinja, CalmingChaos, Cosmo-Superstar, Jully aninha , xXAngel404Xx **and** Miss Hal Gibson. **Thank you so much! And a big thanks for everyone who faved and subscribed the story. I hope I didn't scare you away._

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Butterfly or Hurricane?**

Cosmo dropped the towel in his hand.

"D-Divorce…?" he stammered clumsily.

By now Cosmo had given up the idea that Big Daddy could be something like a father figure for him. It was also clear to him that he didn't approve their marriage. But he hadn't thought that Wanda's father could go _that_ far.

Confusedly he walked some steps towards his wife sitting in the bathtub.

"B-but-" he began but stopped when Wanda got up to her knees again and wrapped her arms around Cosmo's waist. Her wet body moistened Cosmo's clothes.

"I'm so sorry, Cosmo!" Wanda sobbed clinching his t-shirt. "I…I don't want to get divorced from you! I love you so much!"

She was sure that her father had power over her. This afternoon had only been the beginning. If he demanded to visit her once more, Wanda would give in. Once more she would let him into their house, their life. Only because he hadn't used all the power he had today, it didn't mean that she was safe. If he came again, he would go on destroying her life.

Cosmo was shaken by that imagination. Everything they had built up slowly throughout all these years they knew each other suddenly seemed to be so fragile. Nothing they had achieved together had come easily and now all that should be destroyed by one action of Wanda's father?

"W-We can't get divorced, Wanda!" Cosmo decided, desperately trying to keep up his ability to make things look easy. "That's not how this is supposed to work! Don't you remember what you promised? What we both promised!"

Wanda pressed her forehead against his stomach. She pressed herself so close to him like it was the last time she would ever be able to hug him.

"I do remember," she whispered sadly and then lost herself in her tears again.

Cosmo took her hands off himself and knelt down in front of her. Immediately Wanda threw her arms around him again and put her cheek on his shoulder.

"Then how can you say that we're as good as divorced?" he accused her helplessly. The puddle of water which Wanda had caused earlier by moving too suddenly in the bathtub moistened the knees of Cosmo's jeans.

"I'm so sorry, Cosmo…!" Wanda uttered again, her words barely intelligible because of her tears.

Cosmo cursed himself for what he had done. He reproached himself for not having stood up to Big Daddy.

_I should have fought back! I shouldn't have let him go that far! I should have shown him that he's wrong!_

Cosmo didn't understand his reaction himself. Normally memories of his father revealed aggression. That his father had cheated on Cosmo's mother and then left her had caused her an emotional breakdown. Only because of his father his mother had turned so extremely overprotective, only because of him she had been so focused on her son. Cosmo placed all the blame for his depression, desperation and pain on his father.

Where had that anger been today? Why hadn't it shown up when Big Daddy had started to compare Cosmo to his father? It was the worst insult one could do to Cosmo.

_Why didn't I fight against him? Why?_

Only slowly Cosmo could make sense of his reaction. Big Daddy hadn't just offended Cosmo by comparing him to his father. He had foreseen the end of their marriage so insolently that it had paralysed him. It had been an unexpected attack on a spot, which nobody had hit until this day. No one had ever accused Cosmo of possibly cheating on Wanda. Their marriage wasn't always harmonious but that imagination had simply been beyond question. Dealing with that accusation itself had dumbfounded him. Fighting back had simply been impossible.

The situation reminded him suddenly of his schooldays, a time of being teased and bullied. Back then Cosmo hadn't fought back either. He had just endured it hoping it would be over soon. Big Daddy knew Cosmo only for a shirt time and yet he had found already some of his weakest spots.

"No…_I'm_ sorry, Wanda…" Cosmo whispered sadly and hugged her more tightly.

Meanwhile Wanda was lost in her own thoughts. Many years ago, before she had met Cosmo and when she had studied medicine, Wanda had had a terrible fight with her family. For a long time Wanda hadn't spoken a word with her parents and her sister. She and Cosmo had been married already when Wanda had met her father again accidentally last December.

More or less they had buried their conflicts. Wanda hadn't expected that her father would admit the mistakes he had made back then but she had felt that he missed his daughter. She had started to call her parents on holidays and had even visited them for one afternoon. She had done it out of her sense of duty and maybe out of her naive hope that one day she could talk to her parents about what had gone wrong.

There was a reason why Wanda hadn't told her father about her marriage. She knew that her father wouldn't accept the husband she had chosen and that he would try to sabotage her marriage. In spite of the convergence she had taken much care not to give her father the position of power back he once had had. It had been hard enough to win her independence once. Although she had known these things before she had let her father into her life again.

_How could I be so dumb?_

When he had decided that he wanted to visit her and Cosmo Wanda had been scared. But then she had decided that she would accept her father's challenge. In spite of all her worries she had thought that by now she had found the strength to stand up to her father. She had let him visit them because she had wanted to prove herself and her father that things had changed, that he couldn't destroy her and Cosmo's love.

But now it seemed to her like nothing had changed. She still felt like his little girl he took all decisions for, like a stupid and weak child whose opinion didn't matter. Wanda had been so sure that by now she had become a strong and independent woman but only one visit of her father had been enough to turn her into his puppet again.

If he had shouted at her only once, Wanda could imagine how she would have obeyed her father. If he had wanted her to enter his car, she would have followed him. If he wanted her to sign her divorce from Cosmo, she would do it. She knew that her father could force her to anything he wanted.

Desperately she pressed her head against Cosmo's shoulder.

"It's all my fault…!" she answered. "Just because I'm so weak and manipulable! Because I let him destroy our life! It's all my fault…"

Wanda didn't see how Cosmo wrinkled his brows. He let her cry a little longer carefully thinking about her words. Slowly he touched her naked shoulders to make her look up to him.

"Sorry but…what did you say?" he asked her.

"Ehm…I said…" Wanda began confusedly but as she tried to repeat her words her tears gained the upper hand again. "It's all my fault because I'm weak and manipulable…!"

She wanted to put her head on Cosmo's chest but he held her back. Wanda was confused by Cosmo's facial expression. Obviously he thought hard. But then Wanda watched him pressing his lips together and doing something that confused her even more: He seemed to suppress a smile. When Wanda tried to find a question Cosmo did something that confused her even more.

He burst in laughter.

Without another move Wanda watched Cosmo falling back on the floor. He rolled over the bathmat, held his stomach and hammered the floor. But then her huge confusion turned into anger.

"Cosmo, I'm serious!" she snapped sourly. Feeling offended she crossed her arms in front of her naked chest and let her body sink back into the water.

"Oh…you are?" he asked wiping away the tears of laughter in his face.

"What do you think is this?" Wanda attacked him. She was mad at him for not taking her seriously.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to be a jerk…" Cosmo replied still chuckling. "But…come on! _You_ weak and manipulable? That's hilarious!"

Wanda didn't comprehend Cosmo's words but her anger was suddenly gone.

"I don't understand…" Wanda answered confusedly.

After clearing his throat Cosmo sat up again in front of the bathtub. He stretched out his hands and without hesitating Wanda took them.

"Wanda, I know that I'm not very clever but if there's one thing that I know for sure then it's this…" he began in the simple and carefree manner Wanda admired him for. "_I_ married the strongest woman in the whole world!"

Wanda blinked her eyes.

"You did?" she replied in bewilderment. "Who is she?"

"Stop trying to be silly! That's my part!" Cosmo countered seriously. He sighed and continued: "Who can pride on being strong if not you? It's you who keeps the universe from falling apart! Without you Timmy and I had destroyed the world a long time ago! Without you I would never have made it through fairy academy! I would never have moved out, I …probably wouldn't even be here any more," he confessed his voice getting lower with his last words. He looked down at their hands while Wanda's gaze remained on his face. She knew about his life before they had met. She knew about the bullying, his loneliness, his pain…and about the thought to end it all. "And…the reason why all that crap changed were you and your strength. Why do you think I'm not afraid of granting Timmy's wishes even if they're stupid? Because I know that you will be there to save us. I couldn't be…who I am if you weren't strong."

His words warmed Wanda inside and she was more than grateful. But her doubts were still there.

"That's all very sweet and I know that you're honest…but when my father wanted to talk to you in confidence I just went away. I left you alone although I sensed what would be going to happen. I was so afraid, I was…" she explained timidly. "I was a coward. I _am_ in fact…"

"If you were a coward I would be dead by now!" Cosmo countered raising his head again. "When your father wanted to kill me for saying these…things I said when I came home it was _you_ who held him back. It was _you_ who braved him and told him that these things aren't his business. You couldn't have done that if you weren't strong."

Unintentionally Wanda remembered her father's face when she had heard the door opening and Cosmo calling through the house: _"Woman! You better get naked because your husband is incredibly horny and eager to mount you…!"_

She had been incredibly mad but like in most cases Cosmo hadn't meant to do something dumb when he had. Wanda never stayed angry at him for a long time – if she did she probably would never stop being mad. Besides saving Cosmo's life had had a higher priority than being mad. Even if he hadn't called these words through the house Cosmo would have had a very difficult start with Big Daddy. Wanda had expected that she would have to protect her husband.

"You know…when I sat there alone with my parents…I already chose words to save the situation when you would come," she confessed caressing his fingers. "I was somehow…prepared. But when he said he wanted to talk to you…I just didn't expect that he would be so brazen to send me out of our own living room. Which was very naive, I know." She sighed deeply. "I didn't expect that he still has the power to stop me from thinking."

Gently he removed a wet curl from her face.

"I thought not-thinking is a good thing?" he asked a little confusedly. "You always say there's a bitter end if I think."

Wanda couldn't help but giving a short laugh.

"Yes, if _you_ think," she corrected. "You have the natural gift of doing the right thing if you don't think. Well, more or less…at least you always do what you _consider _as right. But that's different with me. Whenever I stop thinking I do what somebody commands me and that somebody is always my father. Then I don't know any more what's right. I just obey."

"Well, then I'm glad that you always think. I don't want you to obey," Cosmo answered. "I want you to do what you think is right."

Wanda focussed his fingers playing around with them.

"My father would never say something like that," she replied sadly. "I noticed how he looked at you…in that despising way. And all I wanted to do was telling him that I don't give a crap about his opinion about you. I wanted to say: 'That's my husband, he still watches cartoons and plays video games and wears Pokémon-t-shirts and…I'm proud of him for that.'"

"You are proud of my Pokémon-t-shirt?" Cosmo questioned in surprise which made Wanda laugh.

"Yes," she countered smiling. "How many men in your age have the confidence to be like that? Society would say that you're way too old for these things. But you don't care. That's what I'm proud of." Cosmo smiled as well and stroke her hair while Wanda caressed his lips. Slowly her smile faded away. "You know how much time and power I needed to find out how to do the right thing. But in presence of my father it's like I had never known. Then I don't know any more how to do the right thing."

"Well, to say it with our own words," Cosmo began patiently and then repeated a sentence Wanda had told him many years ago: "It is right if it feels right."

Wanda smiled and wiped away the rest of her tears with Cosmo's hand in hers. She exactly remembered how she had given him that advice a long time ago. But now her own words didn't seem very useful to her. Just when she thought that Cosmo's attempts of cheering her up were in vain she remembered how she had stood up for Cosmo when her father had wanted to kill him for his first words when he had come home. Wanda's body and her voice had been shaking, she had been terribly afraid – but still she had done it. She had done it because it had felt right.

"Well…it seems like I can still feels what's right…even in presence of my father," she admitted.

"You see?" Cosmo countered. "That's my wife! You always know what's right. That's who you are." He stood up and let go off Wanda's hands to grab a towel from the cupboard next to the bathtub. Then he let it sink down on her head and rubbed her wet hair. "No matter what your father says. That's who you are and nobody else."

"Stop, Cosmo, stop!" Wanda commanded as he was rubbing her hair a little too wildly. Only hesitantly Cosmo fulfilled Wanda's wish. "That's not how you should treat your wife, you know?" she countered but couldn't suppress a smile.

"Well…as there aren't many men who have the confidence to treat their wives like that I guess you're proud of me?" Cosmo suggested grinning freshly.

"That's a bad argument!" Wanda countered laughing. "And now give me a bigger towel, one that's big enough for the rest of my body."

Cosmo did as Wanda had said and got her another white towel. After drying the most important parts of herself she wrapped it around her body. When Cosmo offered his hands Wanda took them to climb out of the bathtub. She walked towards the mirror and felt relief when she looked at herself. Before entering the bathtub the look in the mirror had been very disturbing. But now her doubts seemed to be gone. Now she knew again who she was.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Cosmo attacked her from behind to rub her hair again with the small towel.

"Stop that, will you!" she demanded still laughing. They fought for the small towel and Wanda won.

"But I love your hair," Cosmo countered acting offended. "It's swirly-whirly-curly!"

Cosmo's fascination for curls had already been there when they had met and Wanda hoped it would never fade away. He had invented the word 'swirly-whirly-curly' only for her. With a happy smile Wanda wrapped one arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. Looking at the mirror she knew how right the reflection looked. She and Cosmo together – it looked so right that Wanda was sure not even her father could change something about it.

She felt Cosmo's hand playing with her curls but when she looked at Cosmo's face in the mirror her joy was gone. Cosmo's face and his play with her curls was still just as sad as before.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly and raised her head to look him in the eyes.

"Well…" Cosmo began hesitantly. "Wasn't it clear that you're not the manipulable one?"

"It…wasn't," Wanda answered confusedly. "Not the manipulable one? Do you think you are…?"

"Your father proved it, didn't he?" Cosmo countered helplessly. "He totally knocked me out…"

"But that could only happen because I left you alone" Wanda argued. She turned around to him, adjusted her towel and then took his hands. "Besides…what my father said was crap! You know that, don't you?"

Cosmo avoided her gaze.

"Do I?" he countered almost whispering. Unintentionally he remembered how Big Daddy had compared Cosmo to his father who had caused his wife an emotional breakdown. Cosmo was sure he would never cheat on Wanda but after all he often got them into trouble. He feared that one day this trouble could assume cruel dimensions. "I really don't want to hurt you, Wanda…"

"And I know you never will!" she countered and removed a strain of his hair from his face.

"But…there are signs, aren't there? What if I really am an awful husband like my so-called father was? What if it's really _in my genes_?" Cosmo predicted sadly. The security that he would never forget what Wanda's father had said hurt deeply. He still remembered his words more clearly than he wanted to:

"_It's in your genes. You're a swine, a filthy swine that treats my daughter like dirt. And the peak of it will be that you are going to do the same thing your father did."_

"In your genes?" Wanda repeated critically. "Cosmo, why do you think you could become your father? Until today no thought like that has ever occurred to you, hasn't it? And do you know why? Because you knew – and I'm sure you still know – that you are you and your father is your father."

She caressed his face and Cosmo placed his hand on hers.

"But he was also right when he said that no one has ever taught me to be a good husband. I've never thought about this either but it's true. I never learned. I was only shown how to hurt others. How can I be any different from my father?" Cosmo answered meekly.

"Do you think I'm like my mother?" Wanda countered which confused Cosmo. When she noticed his face she continued patiently: "As a wife I mean. Do you think I'm a wife like my mother is?"

"Certainly not!" Cosmo replied immediately. "You're the exact opposite!"

When Wanda had described her mother as a 'woman without character' Cosmo had been sceptic but by now he had to admit that Wanda had been right. Cynthia had been nothing but a trophy at her husband's side which looked pretty and smiled. She hadn't shown the slightest sign of protest whenever her husband had treated her harshly. Wanda was anything else than a flawless doll that always followed her husband.

"You see? According to your words I could only have learned how to be a perfect and cold thing that never rebels. If anything like that were in one's genes I couldn't be your always-nagging wife who only wants the best for you. According to my genes I would have chosen an overprotective control freak who is not interested in my opinion. And is any of this true?" she asked him and caressed his upper arm.

"No…no it isn't," Cosmo stammered shyly. Her knew that Wanda was right – after all she always was – but something stopped him from believing her words.

"Does that mean you believe my father more than me?" Wanda countered lifting his chin a little. "Whatever he said he said it only to separate us. He only needed something to hurt you and me, whether it's true or not. Don't you see that?"

"I do…but…" he began rolling helplessly his eyes. "Can you blame him for what he thinks about me? I made the first mistake when I came home because…well, I was late!"

"And do you remember why you were late?" Wanda replied and pointed at the chocolate box near the bathtub. When his eyes wandered over the same he remembered and the memory began to calm him down.

He had thought that he still had enough time before Wanda's parents came and he had felt guilty for leaving all the preparation to her. He had sensed that Wanda would be very nervous and he knew that her special favourite chocolate always soothed her nerves. This special chocolate was sold in only one shop in the entire town and it had been a huge detour to get there. But he hadn't cared. He had done it for Wanda.

"Cosmo…you are not in the slightest like your father. You're the best husband I could ever have hoped for. Please tell me…" Wanda began and moved her face towards his ear to whisper: "What he said…did it hurt you so much?"

He didn't have to speak to answer her question. Timidly he looked at the floor, pressed Wanda's hand and bit his lower lip. Wanda knew that he swallowed his tears. Big Daddy's words had hurt Cosmo indescribably. He loved Wanda with all his heart. Their love had already been through many things and in spite of everything it had never been destroyed. But Wanda's father hadn't cared about these things. He had trampled their relationship underfoot regardless of everything they had achieved. What Big Daddy had done had been cruel, brutal, ruthless.

Wanda could only imagine what all these insults had meant for Cosmo. She was sure that nothing would have kept her father from saying all these terrible things, not even if he had known the reason why Cosmo had been late. He would have used anything against Cosmo. At the same time she knew that this would never have happened if she wouldn't have left her husband alone with Big Daddy. Therefore Wanda felt very guilty.

Gently she caressed his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Cosmo. This could only happen because I left you alone with him. That was the mistake we made. We let him separate us. After leaving you alone I wanted to go back but I couldn't. Can you imagine that? I didn't dare to go back into our own living room…"

She felt a cold shiver when she remembered.

"That is somehow…not encouraging" Cosmo countered critically. "I mean…why can't I stand up to him on my own?"

"Do you know anybody who can?" Wanda replied. "Can you fight a dragon with your bare hands? Because that's how my father is…destructive, aggressive and only happy if he can tear down everything that's in his way."

Wanda knew that there was also a different side about her father, a very gentle and protective one. But that side only showed up if you were absolutely obsequious towards him. As she wasn't his little girl any more that obeyed only the bad sides were left for her. She had no bad conscience to describe her father like that.

"But after all these things he said…" Cosmo began and sighed helplessly. "I think I would have punched everyone else."

"This would be a just punishment and also my father would deserve it," Wanda answered, which Cosmo admittedly surprised. "I think the mistake we made today is that we underestimated him. Not even I expected that he would be so brazen to send me out of our living room or that he would insult you like that. It was like a stab in the back and that's something no one can fight. We know that now and we can do anything to not let it happen again."

"I know you're right but still…I wish I could have fought him back like you did in the beginning and when we watched our wedding video," Cosmo countered bitterly.

"And why do you think I could stand up to him?" Wanda asked caressing his neck. "Because you were there at my side, holding my hand. This is what we're talking about, aren't we? This is how it works between us. We support each other, we complement one another and if we're alone in a situation like you were then we're not whole any more. I didn't dare to brave him either when they arrived before you came back. He made so many cutting remarks and I didn't fight back against any of them."

"You didn't…?" Cosmo questioned in surprise. Until now he hadn't thought about the time with Wanda's parents before he had come home.

"How could I? I can only be that brave as long as you're with me. This is what I mean when I call you my better half. That strength you said I have…that's you, Cosmo," Wanda explained meekly and placed her palms on Cosmo's cheeks.

Cosmo swallowed. He couldn't deny that he was moved to tears. Although he knew that he had a strong woman at his side he tended to forget that Wanda hadn't always been like that. Her self-confidence had come after a long way and on that way Cosmo had always held her hand – and he still did. For him Wanda had mostly been the one who had given _him_ indescribable much support. Often he didn't notice how much he gave her, how much he supported her by accepting her for who she was.

"You mean…you teach me and I teach you?" he replied quietly.

Wanda was about to let her tears of emotion flow but his words put her off.

"Did you just use a line from the Pokémon opening to compare us?" she countered.

"You recognised?" Cosmo asked.

One moment later they started laughing and threw their arms around each other. Wanda enjoyed the certainty that many things had changed since she had broken with her family. She was strong and independent by now and she knew who she had to thank for it. Cosmo and Wanda had found their strength in each other and they knew that together they were unbeatable.

"No more stabs in the back," Wanda decided when they loosened their embrace. "I got your back and you got mine."

Cosmo smiled cheerfully. He knew how true Wanda's words were. She wouldn't let her father insult him like that once more. If one day Big Daddy should make one more remark about Cosmo's father Wanda would defend him and say what Cosmo would say as well if sideswipes about that topic paralysed him again.

"Our courage will pull us through," he answered and gained another sigh from Wanda.

"So you found that Pokémon CD again?" she asked.

"It was on the attic," Cosmo countered with the same grin like before. She hugged him again caressing his back. Closing her eyes she enjoyed his scent and his warmth. When she opened them again she discovered the box of her favourite chocolate on a surface next to the bathtub. Only hesitantly Cosmo let her go when she wanted to walk towards the box. She opened the white bow, put it aside and opened the red, squared box. Meanwhile Cosmo had hugged her from behind again. She raised the opened box on her flat hand towards him.

"You want some?" she asked.

"You would share your _favourite chocolate_ with me?" he countered in amazement which made Wanda laugh. He knew that Wanda didn't become selfish if it came to her favourite chocolate but still he had always left that chocolate only to her without demanding something.

"Just this once," Wanda replied generously and took one which was filled with crème de champagne to hold it towards Cosmo's mouth. Delightedly he ate the entire piece although Wanda had expected he would just take a bite.

_Why am I not surprised?_

"You know, they would go wonderfully with the cake and the cookies, which are still left from this afternoon," Cosmo remarked meaningfully.

"Actually it's time for dinner. We would spoil our appetite and probably we would get stomach ache, wouldn't we?" Wanda commented.

"Isn't the more important question if we care?" Cosmo answered freshly and leaned his forehead against hers.

"All right then," Wanda agreed smiling. "Let's get some stomach ache."

"Yeeha!" Cosmo cheered and took Wanda's hand but when they had left the bathroom she stopped. "What is it?"

"So you found your old Pokémon stuff on the attic?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Yes…" Cosmo answered. He didn't now what Wanda tried to implicate.

"Could you take these?" she replied and gave Cosmo the chocolate box. "Just go on ahead. I need a moment."

"Well, okay," Cosmo answered grinning. He knew Wanda had an idea and he was curious about it. Humming the first Pokémon opening he went downstairs where he prepared two plates and pastry forks, the cake, the cookies and the chocolate. To help him pass the time he sang the Pokémon opening and danced through the room. He knew it was childish but he was himself and – although it was still hard for him to believe – there was someone who loved him for who he was. "…and the power that's inside!" Cosmo sang cheerfully but then stopped when he heard Wanda coming downstairs. What he saw surprised him.

Her bare feet were carefully taking one step after another and her hands were holding the skirt of her white wedding dress a little higher so she wouldn't stumble over the hem. When she reached the kitchen she turned around dreamily and her skirt flew with her.

"It still suits me!" Wanda announced proudly and then felt suddenly Cosmo's arms around her from behind.

"And it still looks terrific," he added enthusiastically. Her dress reminded him of the wonderful day when they had said I do and the memory made him happy. The belief that Big Daddy could be a father figure for him had been naive but now he knew he didn't need a replacement for his father. There was Wanda at his side who gave him all the love and support he needed.

"Thank you," Wanda answered happily and then sat down at the table together with Cosmo. "But we should leave at least one piece for Timmy."

For the beginning they put one piece of cake, some cookies and chocolates on each other's plates. Although Wanda was a chocoholic she ate with much care so she wouldn't stain or make crumbs on her wedding dress. Back then she had paid much attention to creating a very pretty and elegant but still comfortable dress. She still felt that effort and was just as glad about it as on their wedding day. She chuckled when she noticed the parallel. For her wedding she had decided for a dress that left her every freedom to move – just like Cosmo did. There was no need to twist or to restrain certain moves. She could simply be herself.

"What's so funny?" Cosmo asked with half a cookie in his mouth after Wanda had giggled.

"Oh, it's just…" Wanda began but realised something else when she raised a piece of the cake on her fork to her mouth. Slowly she let it sink again and continued then: "You're a genius, you know that?"

Cosmo looked behind himself and as he didn't discover anyone else he turned to Wanda again.

"_Me_?" he questioned so confusedly it made Wanda laugh.

"Yes, you," she answered and stood up, walked around the table and sat down on Cosmo's lap taking care of her wide skirt. "Do you remember what you said this morning? _'We're probably going to spend a horrible afternoon with your parents and we'll be suffering a lot but in the end we'll be sitting here and eating what's left from the cake and the cookies.' _And look what we're doing now_," _Wanda answered caressing Cosmo's face.

"Now that you mention it…" Cosmo remembered grinning. Without saying any other word Wanda kept stroking his face and looking him in the eyes.

"We knew that he wouldn't harm us before," she remarked quietly after a relaxed phase of silence. "I wouldn't have had to worry."

"Probably," Cosmo admitted. "Let's just forget the unpleasant parts of the day. All that matters is that now we're here."

"Together," Wanda added contentedly. They smiled happily at each other until Wanda saw Cosmo's hand moving towards her hair. She couldn't help but laughing when she noticed his childishly fascinated grin about his fingers twirling her curls. "Come on, say it."

He swallowed in excitement.

"Swirly-whirly-curly!" he spoke one of his favourite words with the face of a little boy who had just gotten the best Christmas present of his life. Still laughing Wanda pressed her forehead against Cosmo's shoulder while he tightened his grip around her waist – still with one hand in Wanda's hair.

"Never stop saying that word," Wanda whispered and kissed his neck.

"I didn't know you like it that much," Cosmo answered turning one strain of her hair around his finger.

"I love how you say it. I love how fascinated you are when you play around with my curls. You know…you being you," Wanda explained gently.

"You mean an idiot?" Cosmo completed her sentence.

"No…not entirely that is," she answered and raised her head. "This is about simplicity. You don't need much to be glad. If you had a bad day you're easily distracted. And when you hear the Pokémon opening you're in a different world. You don't think and that also means that you don't doubt, don't hesitate. Everything seems so simple with you…and simplicity is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Sometimes I wish my mind worked like that too. Probably our house would have exploded a long time ago if it did but still…"

"Does that mean you want to be the idiot in that relationship too?" Cosmo countered to take Wanda's hand and kiss it. She sighed deeply.

"Sometimes, yes," she admitted.

"Who says you can't be?" Cosmo countered caressing her back. He was willing to give Wanda any support she needed although Cosmo believed that he would never be able to give back what she had given him. Sadly Wanda looked away and Cosmo sensed who she was thinking of. "You know something? I'm going to show you now that you can be just as crazy as I am. You can be anything!"

Happily she smiled at him enjoying the sparkle of enthusiasm in his eyes which gave her a very special feeling of security. Whatever Cosmo did or said it was always filled with so much purity and innocence. His words and his actions never went through his head which meant that they came directly from his heart.

"And you actually doubted that you're a good husband?" Wanda countered caressing his shoulder. As an answer Cosmo grinned and kissed her neck. No matter what Big Daddy said he knew he'd do anything for Wanda and he'd always give everything to be the husband she deserved. As long as he could make Wanda happy he wouldn't have to care about her father's opinion.

Still with the same grin he gently pushed Wanda off his legs and moved towards the stairs.

"I'm getting my Pokémon-CD now," he announced proudly.

Wanda needed a moment to shake of her confusion. Still a little dumbfounded she followed him to the foot of the stairs.

"Your Pokémon-CD? What are you planning to do with your Pokémon-CD, Cosmo?" Wanda asked, one hand holding her skirt. Cosmo who had almost reached the first floor turned around and shrugged his shoulders.

"All I know is that you remember all the lyrics just as well as I do," he countered.

Wanda was surprised by herself that she felt a little insecure about what was to come. But then she reminded herself of the fact that there was no reason for that feeling. She paced the kitchen and ate two chocolates until Cosmo came back. In excited anticipation he took her hand and went with her into the living room. When she felt her hand in his she began to feel relaxed and secure.

_Why should I be nervous?_

When they entered the living room Cosmo turned to the stereo system and let go off Wanda's hand to open the CD. He knew that Wanda might be the smarter and more reasonable one but he knew she was also able to let go off her composure and her sense. He was also sure that the latter was exactly what she needed now.

Meanwhile Wanda went towards the open patio door and looked outside. The wonderful spring day was drawing to a close and she enjoyed the wind in her face. But then she noticed something more important. Her father's cigar smoke she had wanted to chase away by opening the patio door was gone.

Her father couldn't harm her and her marriage. Wanda had defeated his power and she knew she would never let him win it back. That knowledge let her feel a new way of joy. What she had been scared of had not come true. This visit today had been a very important test for Wanda – and she had passed it.

"I better close the door," Wanda decided and did the same. "I want the music loud and I don't want our neighbours to call the police. Not that soon at least."

"Sounds good to me!" Cosmo commented and stood up with the remote control for the stereo system in his hand. He went towards her and took her hands to caress her fingers.

"Okay, I'm wearing my wedding dress, I'm about to sing themes of old cartoon series, I will probably dance around and due to all the sweets I ate I'm probably going to throw up when we're through with that CD," Wanda predicted.

"I'll hold back your hair," Cosmo promised grinning and before Wanda knew it he had one hand in her curls again.

"This is so bizarre!" Wanda commented holding her hand in front of her mouth when she chuckled. "And I think it's great!"

"You know what I think is the best?" Cosmo replied cheerfully. Now that he saw Wanda smiling again Big Daddy's words weren't relevant any more. The only important thing was making Wanda happy and not being a good husband. He didn't know that attitude made him a better husband than he could imagine. "Your father's plans totally backfired and he'd be absolutely pissed if he knew that all his efforts to separate us were in vain."

"Not only that," Wanda added happily. "We're even a little closer than before."

Cosmo threw his arms around Wanda's legs, lifted her up and turned with her in circles. They knew that they had been through the unbearable and they had stood it. It wasn't the first challenge their relationship had to face but it had something in common with all the others: It was unable to harm them. Every test they passed made them a little stronger – and in a very strange way Cosmo and Wanda thanked Big Daddy for this test.

"Would you please let me down?" Wanda asked after several revolutions. "I would like to throw up _after_ we heard that CD."

"If you must," Cosmo answered freshly and let her sink down on the floor only hesitantly. He just loved watching Wanda's curls while going round in circles. She tried to put her hair in order and adjusted the wide skirt of her white wedding dress. A little staggering Wanda gently took the remote control for the stereo system out of Cosmo's hands.

"All right then, let's begin. I…I know it's my destiny," Wanda replied and giggled. "I never realised that you can interpret these lyrics to poetically."

With more smiles and laughs Wanda kissed Cosmo's cheek, turned around, stretched out her arm and switched on the music.

* * *

_Everybody aww! But you know something? It's **not** the end yet… (I promise the next chapter won't take that much time.)_


	7. Unspoken Part A

_Brownies for **Miss Hal Gibson** and **xXAngel404Xx** for their loyal reviews! :)_

_Okay, the next chapters turned out to be longer than I had planned. Let's say this is the second act of this story which I gave the subheading **"The dark secrets of the Fairywinkle family"**. _

_One more thing: In my version Cosmo and Wanda didn't meet at high school because in my opinion there can't happen good things in school. School is a heartless monster sucking out your soul. Yes, this statement tells you a lot about my school days._

_I hope you like the name I made up for Wanda's father!_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Unspoken (Part A)**

Big Daddy turned on the bedside lamp on the table next to him. Ignoring the sudden brightness he stood up and got on the black bathrobe lying at the edge of the bed. He looked at the alarm clock next to his side of the bed. It was two in the morning.

Cynthia turned around grumbling. Rubbing her eyes she pulled the covers over her chest.

"What are you doing, Keith?" she asked sleepily.

"I'll go downstairs," he answered shortly. "I can't sleep."

Before Cynthia could answer he had left the room.

He hadn't cared for waking her up as well. He hadn't cared because he knew that she didn't as well. She never reacted, no matter how he treated her. He didn't know how she had become the perfect and flawless doll she was today. Once she had been so different.

They had been very young when they had met. He exactly remembered how enchanted he had been by that a little cheeky but sweet, young woman. It had been love at first sight. As he hadn't been leading the company yet but his father Keith hadn't had much to do with responsibility back then. Together they had gone out in the middle of the week, they had lain down on their favourite meadow a little off the town, they had gone to a secret lake to skinny-dip. They hadn't cared for tomorrow. They hadn't cared for all the people who told them how unreasonable they were. The only thing that mattered was being with each other.

Keith had known that he _had_ to marry her. He wanted her at his side until death did part them. It had been a hard piece of work to convince their parents of their wedding but even if it hadn't worked out he knew he would have married her anyway. Keith had bought her a gorgeous villa, their "love nest" how they had once called it.

By now Keith couldn't even laugh about that expression. This house had nothing to do with love any more. Absolutely nothing.

The first years of their marriage had been so happy. After their wedding Cynthia had begun working at the company as well. Having her around him almost the entire day had made even his rainiest days. Although sometimes it made him mad if some customers misunderstood her friendliness and tried to flirt with her. In her role as a hostess it was hard for Cynthia to draw a clear line and so sometimes Keith had had to interfere. But from time to time that jealously had spiced up their relationship.

How could it change like that? How _did_ it change like that?

Had it happened on a business trip? Although he had loved Cynthia like on the first day he had appreciated the time for himself. It wasn't only him who had to travel. After Keith had taken the lead of the company it had meant more work for the two of them and more travelling. By now Keith didn't even remember the last time he had seen her not sitting that straightly and elegantly, stretching after a long day or simply yawning.

"_Why don't we have kids?"_

When he had asked her that question he had thought that a child could remind them again of their love of which he still believed that they shared it with each other. Besides he knew that at least after the birth he would see Cynthia in a different state. She couldn't keep up her perfection while giving birth. He had been so sure.

* * *

_When the day of the twin's birth had come closer and closer he had even put off some important business trips. With Cynthia's belly also Keith's excitement had grown everyday. He had been speechless but happy when the doctor had told him that Cynthia was expecting twins. The imagination of having one baby had already filled him with indescribable anticipation and now destiny would bless them with two children._

_He had planned to be at Cynthia's side when she was giving birth to their girls but he had been too late. When he had arrived at the hospital the twin's were already born. Of course Keith was still very happy to hold his daughters in his arms for the very first time._

"_Aren't our girls just beautiful?" he asked her although it was hard for him to find any words for the pride and happiness he felt. But some kind of disillusion followed when he looked at Cynthia. Although she had had their daughter's only a little more than 30 minutes ago she was looking as perfect as always. She was sitting on the bed with the same composure and elegance she always showed to everyone._

"_They are," she answered smiling on the same way she smiled when she asked a customer if he wanted to drink something. In that moment Keith had seen that Cynthia wouldn't ever treat Wanda or Dorothy in a different way, that she would never be a real mother to them. He should be right. Cynthia left almost everything to the nanny._

* * *

In the beginning he had tried to let her feel more by making her happy. He had always surprised her with new gifts and he had hugged her every time he had fallen asleep next to her. But she hadn't reacted. She had always thanked him for everything and she had never accused him of doing something wrong but she hadn't ever given him more than the same smile she gave everybody.

It had hurt him that she didn't let him close to her. He loved her and he tried to give her everything but Cynthia didn't return anything any more. Having children with her had been his last hope to bring the old Cynthia back. When he had realised that he had been wrong, he had become very desperate. He had confronted her with his thoughts several times, he had been shouting at her, he had been close to hitting her just to fall down on his knees afterwards to beg her for forgiveness. It had been pointless.

She always reacted the same way. She smiled. He had opened his heart in the first place for her, hoping that way she would do the same but not even the birth of their daughters had changed anything for her. Keith had to face the fact that he was married to a woman who didn't love him any more and who never would again. He wasn't sure if she ever had. For the public he still pretended to have a harmonic marriage. He would have decided for a divorce if there hadn't been one fact: In spite of her indifference and how much he felt used by her, he still loved her. Her presence hurt but it would hurt even more to dissolve their marriage and then having to realise that Cynthia wouldn't react towards this either, that she wouldn't give up smiling.

As he knew that Cynthia wouldn't ever return his love, he treated her whatever he felt like. It didn't make any difference.

While thinking about his marriage he had been walking downstairs and into the living room. He went to one of the shelves and took a photo album out of it. It contained photos of the time when his daughters had been children and visited the kindergarten. He smiled sadly looking at so many photos of him and his little girls and at the same time realising that he was now all alone. Once they had been so close to each other and Keith had believed that it would always be like that.

He turned the pages and was surprised himself that he remembered almost every photo and how it was taken. At last he discovered the pictures of a family reunion. He remembered that Wanda hadn't liked these meetings. She hadn't liked so many people in their house and having to share her Daddy for several days. Her sister's opinion had been different. Dorothy had already liked standing in the spotlight as a child.

* * *

"_When I'm grown up I will become a famous singer!" Dorothy announced very self-confidently when her uncles had asked her. They and Keith were sitting at one of the tables in the garden where the whole family was having a barbecue. By now the night had come. "And I will change my name into Blonda!"_

"_But your hair isn't blond," Uncle Piero noticed tousling Dorothy's light pink curls._

"_I will dye it of course!" Dorothy countered so professionally for a child that it made everyone laugh. She had always dreamed about becoming famous, as a singer, a dancer, an actress. Her potential ways had often changed but not her wish of becoming a star. "I will be famous all over fairy world!"_

_Dreamily she turned in circles, stretching out her arms to the sides._

"_I'm sure you will be, honey," Keith assured her smiling. He thought that a little girl of her age couldn't know yet what she really wanted. But Dorothy would convince him otherwise._

_He put out his cigar and breathed out the last smoke. His other arm was wrapped around Wanda who was sitting on his lap and leaning against her father's chest. By now she had fallen asleep. Still smiling he looked at his wrist watch. "It's time for you to go to bed."_

_Dorothy stopped turning in circles and folded her hands._

"_But I'm not tired yet, Daddy," she contradicted sweetly. "It's Saturday. Can't I stay awake a little longer? Please?"_

_He hadn't realised it back then but one day he would have to admit that Dorothy had always gotten her will and more importantly: She had always known how to manipulate others to get it – also her father. She seemed to have been born as a very wily girl._

"_Okay, you can stay awake for one more hour," he answered not knowing yet that he would say the same one hour later. But Dorothy knew already._

"_Oh, thank you, Daddy!" she replied and climbed on the bench her father sat on to kiss his cheek. "You're the best!"_

_Dorothy ran away to her cousin Guido to convince him of bringing her one more glass of lemonade._

_Keith watched her until she had disappeared between some family members. Taking care not to wake Wanda in his arms he stood up and walked inside to bring her upstairs into her room. Her self-drawn pictures at the walls showed mostly unicorns as this was Wanda's current obsession. Gently he let her sink on her with moon and stars decorated cover but in spite of taking care, Wanda woke up groaning and rubbing her eyes._

"_Just go on sleeping, sunshine," he whispered caressing her cheek._

"_But I've got to change clothes," Wanda answered sleepily after looking down at herself. "I want to be a lady."_

_Laughing he helped his "little lady" to take off her summer dress and to put on her white, ruched nightdress. He gave Wanda her favourite teddy bear after covering her up and sitting down on her bed._

"_Daddy?" Wanda began tiredly. "Will you marry me when I'm grown up?"_

_He laughed and caressed her cheek._

"_I'm afraid that's not possible," he answered gently. "Daddies can't marry their daughters."_

_Wanda seemed to think hard._

"_Then I won't marry at all!" she decided pressing her teddy bear. "Boys are silly."_

"_I think one day you'll meet one who isn't that silly," he replied._

"_No, no, no!" Wanda defended herself. "Boys are silly! One of the boys at kindergarten has even taken away Mister Cookie from me."_

_She caressed the teddy bear in her arms. It had been Dorothy who had gotten Mister Cookie back for Wanda._

"_Sweetheart, you've got to show me that boy," Keith decided, knowing he would teach that boy not to take away Wanda's teddy bear – with vigour. "But out there are some boys who aren't that mean."_

"_I don't care," Wanda answered obstinately. "If I can't marry you, I won't marry anyone. You always protect me, Daddy. You're always there."_

_Without saying anything he caressed Wanda's cheek. Her words meant a lot to him. He always had to work much although he'd rather spend time with his daughters. Whenever he came home and his girls were asleep already, he had a bad conscience. But that she said, he was always there for Wanda in spite of his absence, showed him that his effort wasn't in vain._

"_And I will always be there for you and protect you, darling. I promise," he assured her. "Even if you should marry one day."_

"_Really?" Wanda asked who had thought that one would exclude the other. Once again she thought. "So, if I marry one day…will you then lead me to the altar, Daddy? That's how they always do it in movies."_

_He touched her face with both of his hands._

"_Of course I will," he answered. "But you've got to promise that you'll only marry someone who is worthy of you. And you've got to introduce him to me."_

"_Yes!" Wanda replied although she didn't really know what her father's words meant. She was too tired and too glad about his agreement to think about it. Instead she put her arms around his neck. "I love you, Daddy."_

_He embraced her as well._

"_I love you too, sunshine," he whispered enjoying that moment between him and his little girl. When her tiredness grew, Wanda loosened her arms around her father's neck and sank down on her bed. Once again he covered her up after kissing her._

"_Good night, sweetheart," he wished her although Wanda was asleep again already._

* * *

He had thought that their relationship would never change.

But thinking about that sweet situation left him with a bitter after-taste. According to what Wanda would tell him years later, he didn't know any more if any nice moment they had spent together had been true or just a fake.

He turned the pages until he had reached the end of the photo album. After putting it on the coffee table, he took another one out of the shelf. He found photos of the time when Wanda and Dorothy – or Blonda how she called herself since the last year of middle school – were teenagers.

It must have been normal that they had distanced from each other when Wanda had reached that age. In spite of the fact that it had been awkward to him seeing his daughters becoming more and more womanly, he had promised himself that he wouldn't just look away for that reason. As her attitude hadn't changed throughout all these years he knew that Cynthia wouldn't have certain conversations with their daughters. Hence this was left to him, if he liked it or not.

He hadn't worried as much about Blonda as about Wanda. Blonda had always been very self-confident and she knew how to defend herself. But Wanda had been more insecure and he had feared that her kindness could be used. He hadn't been aware of the fact that Blonda had been such a good actress already that she had deceived him several times. Probably he didn't want to know to what kind of parties she had been when she had told him, she would only learn with a friend and left him even the phone number, so he wouldn't become suspicious.

Wanda hadn't been a good liar. He had appreciated that characteristic because it made it easier to control her and her actions. But still also Wanda had taken the chance whenever he was on a business trip to get her own will. She had felt suppressed but all Keith had tried to do was protecting her how she had liked it when she had been a child.

But his desire of keeping her safe hadn't been that extreme until a certain day.

* * *

"_Sunshine, where have you-" he began leaving the living room but stopped abruptly when he discovered her in the foyer. Wanda's hair was dishevelled and her eyes red from crying. She had wrapped her arms around her hips and was bending a little forward._

_When she saw him, she looked down again immediately, sobbed and walked as quickly as possible past her father, upstairs into her room._

_Keith was like paralysed. He desperately hoped that his first thought was wrong. He had told her to stay away from that boy. He had told her several times._

_With quick steps he followed his daughter and entered her room without knocking. Wanda was lying on her bed, crying desperately like he hadn't heard it ever before. She was turned away from him, her legs bent and her arms pressed her teddy bear Mister Cookie as close to her chest as possible._

_His hands were shaking when he pulled her shoulder to make her lying on her back. Mister Cookie fell on the floor next to Wanda's bed. Still hoping desperately that he was wrong he lifted her skirt and separated her knees._

_He wasn't wrong. His worst assumption was right._

_No matter how much he tried, he didn't find a different explanation for the blood and bruises on her thighs and her panties. He didn't know how long he looked at her. He already knew now that he wouldn't ever forget that horror. Wanda tried to free herself but Keith didn't let her. Maybe he hoped to find a different explanation if he looked at her only long enough._

"_Daddy…! Please…!" Wanda sobbed. She couldn't stand that her father didn't take his eyes off her humiliation._

_She wanted to turn away, not letting her father see her like this but he pressed her on her shoulders into the pillows on the same bed where he had promised to lead her to the altar years ago._

_He didn't want to believe that her innocence had now been taken away violently. He didn't understand that the body of his little girl had been raped. All these bruises and the blood didn't fit. It seemed so wrong and yet it was reality._

_Her body had only just begun to flourish, she wasn't even a real woman yet. Everything about her had been so innocent. It had been._

"_WHO DID THAT TO YOU?" he shouted so loudly that it scared Wanda. "WHO DID THAT TO YOU, WANDA? I'M GOING TO KILL THAT GUY! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"_

* * *

Keith closed the photo album again. He didn't want to look at these photos of Wanda. He didn't want to remember how much time had passed until she had smiled again. He didn't want to think about the interrogations, the trial, the suspicion of her being pregnant.

"_You always protect me, Daddy. You're always there."_

The words she had said as a little child hadn't been true any more. Keith had considered it as _his_ mistake that this cruelty had happened to Wanda. For a long time Wanda hadn't been interested any more in going out, visiting parties and especially not in boys. It had also been the time when he had gotten closer to Wanda again. They had spent many Saturday evenings watching movies, just the two of them. Wanda had often baked back then and he had always been the first one to try what she had created. Even when she had done her homework without any problems, she had shown her papers to her father to be sure that everything was correct.

She had wanted to be his little girl again. She hadn't been interested in growing up, being independent, gathering experiences. Keith had welcomed it. That way he had been able to keep the promise he had given himself: to protect her. She should never feel again what hell was like.

Things had turned more difficult when her high school graduation had come. She had recovered from that terrible experience. She had spent more time with her friends at the mall, at their houses, at parties. Keith couldn't understand that she was beginning to evade him, her protector, that she risked getting hurt once more.

He had never let her stay at parties for a long time, had always picked her up and examined the girls and in front of all the boys she got involved with, even if Wanda assured him that they were just friends, pals, classmates. He hadn't cared that his protective attitude had sometimes been embarrassing to her. At all costs he had wanted to keep his promise.

He had even forbidden that her date for her graduation ball would pick her up. Probably he had been a nice boy but Keith had wanted to take no risk. He wouldn't leave Wanda alone with another boy. He had been one of the chaperones at the ball and always kept an eye on Wanda and her date so he couldn't do anything that could possibly pester her.

He wouldn't have had to worry. Most boys hadn't even dared to come close to Wanda or Blonda. They had all feared that their father could do something to them.

Keith's overprotective attitude had also had effects on Blonda but in spite of the restrictions of her personal freedom, she had found ways to get what she had wanted. Luckily Keith didn't know how successfully she had turned the danger her father personified into a tempting challenge for many boys.

Not that he had ruled out the possibility that the cruelty Wanda had experienced could also happen to Blonda. He was just as concerned whenever Blonda went out at the weekends. But he knew that Blonda was cast in a different mould than Wanda. It wasn't just her self-confidence and her assertiveness but also her sense of reality and her care. Even before that incident she had taken classes in self-defence and always placed pepper spray in her handbag. Blonda had always been aware of the fact that the world was dangerous but it hadn't kept her from having her own way.

If it had been the way Blonda had wanted it she hadn't even finished high school. Her career as an actress had already begun. She hadn't just impressed the whole school by playing every leading role in every play her drama class performed, she had also shot two commercials already – not to mention some modelling jobs for advertising campaigns. (Of course Keith had accompanied her to all these jobs to make sure they were respectable.) That she really intended to earn her money by acting made him very sceptical but as Blonda couldn't be convinced otherwise he had made an agreement with her. If she still wanted to go to drama school after making her high school graduation he would pay her courses.

_'Probably she'll have a completely different plan tomorrow. They always do in that age,' _Keith had thought but he would be wrong.

Blonda's intentions hadn't been his only concern. Also Wanda had been thinking about her choice of occupation.

"_Daddy, I want to study medicine and I want to move out."_

When Wanda had announced her plans for the future, he had been very sceptical. The reason hadn't been that he considered her choice as wrong. Wanda was very kind and smart and one day she would surely make a wonderful doctor.

He just hadn't considered her as mature enough to provide for herself, to live all alone – especially not in another town after it had become apparent that she hadn't only wanted to move out. She had wanted to move away. But although he had told her how worried he had been about her, she had shown herself just as stubborn as he could be as well.

He had let her move out but not without buying a small house for her and to pay for her livelihood. That way he knew that she lived in a good neighbourhood and that she wouldn't have to get entangled in bad circles in order to earn money. She had called him almost every week but his nerves had never really been soothed.

As far as he knew Wanda had gotten involved with only two men while studying medicine. But Wanda hadn't talked much about that topic with him and so he had never found out how far she had gone with them. She had always changed the subject when he had tried to ask her questions about it – not to make her feel awkward but to be sure that she didn't get hurt once more.

* * *

Keith got up from the couch and walked to one of the windows. It was slightly raining outside and some drops hit the glass.

* * *

Of course he had wanted Wanda to find happiness and a man at her side. But at the same time he knew himself that he considered no man to be good enough.

Except for _him_.

His first impression of that man had been purely negative. Since she had met him, Wanda had called only every month, sometimes not even that. At the same time, he had distracted her from her studies as they obviously preferred to practise their new hobby, which had made them celebrities. Dancing.

They had appeared several times in gossip magazines he normally didn't read. He had become angry when he had seen his daughter wearing tight and sexy dresses because he had exactly known what ideas she gave other men. Since _that thing_ Wanda's style of clothing had been casual and baggy. He couldn't imagine that she wore these dresses at all these dance tournaments because she wanted to. When he had watched a video of a choreography she and her boyfriend had performed, he had become even more angry. The way they danced was sometime so suggestive that he was sure that Wanda had been forced to do so.

For these reasons it had surprised him even more when she had called him one day and had told him:

"_Daddy, I would like to introduce my boyfriend to you."_

In spite of his surprise, this had meant for him first of all that he had a chance to call that man to account. After all these years, he hadn't forgotten his promise to protect Wanda. It had been the only thing on his mind, when Wanda had finally arrived with her boyfriend. Unlike he had suspected it, that man had introduced himself very politely:

"_Juandíssimo Magnifico."_

* * *

_If you're wondering about Wanda: I think we all came a long way until we became who we are and also Wanda wasn't always the strong woman we know today, so don't be surprised._

_Btw, these chapters contain some spoilers for my other story "A cure?" which I will continue as soon as this story is finished._


	8. Unspoken Part B

_Hey my dear cherubs! I have bowls of delicious ice-cream for my reviewers: **Miss Hal Gibson, Calming Chaos, puzzlepup and Jully aninha**. Thank you very much, also for all the faves and subscriptions. You're helping me through a tough time._

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Unspoken (Part B)**

Keith couldn't help but smiling when he remembered how suspiciously he had treated Juandíssimo.

* * *

_Right after meeting him, he insisted on being alone with him. Keith asked him every question he had wanted to have an answer for without caring if he was going too far. He nailed him down on every topic – only that Juandíssimo didn't let him nailing him down._

_Wanda's boyfriend stayed friendly during the entire conversation, even when Keith became a little harsh. Juandíssimo gave him clear answers and yet without revealing too much. Still Juandíssimo's immunity to Keith's cutting remarks didn't let him trust that man. Only when he asked him for the reason why he had come to his house, he could let go the fear that he was plotting something against him._

"_I'm planning to marry your daughter. And I know that your blessing means a lot to Wanda."_

* * *

It was definitely not easy to amaze Keith. But he still remembered how that statement had made his whole world turning. He would never have expected that Juandíssimo was the son-in-law he had always wished for. He was sincere and honest. He had admitted that the first impression of a Latino wasn't that wrong but since he knew Wanda he had felt ready for entering another stage of life. Juandíssimo had made clear how much value he attached to the family and thus to Keith's opinion.

Keith had to admit that he had thought seeing his daughter getting married also meant losing her. But the better he had gotten to know Juandíssimo the weaker that fear had become until it had completely disappeared. Juandíssimo had always emphasised that he wouldn't take Wanda away from him in any way and that she would always be Keith's daughter even when she became Juandíssimo's wife.

Not only that he showed much respect for Keith's values and opinion and even agreed with many of them. Even though he hadn't expected it Juandíssimo studied business administration science and thus he was a perfect candidate for becoming Keith's successor. He had never insisted on a male taking his place one day but neither Wanda nor Blonda had ever shown any interest in the family's company. He lacked experience but Keith was ready to teach him and Juandíssimo was ready to be taught.

Nevertheless all these things wouldn't have meant anything to him if he hadn't been sure that Juandíssimo would be a good husband to Wanda as well. Whenever Keith watched the two of them he noticed how attentively and gently Juandíssimo treated Wanda. He always held the door open for her, took her coat, caught her if she stumbled and Keith remembered many more gentle gestures of Juandíssimo which gave him the security that Wanda was in good hands. Juandíssimo did everything he could to protect Wanda just like Keith had always done it. He was sure that together with his future son-in-law he wouldn't ever have to fear that something could happen to Wanda. The unbelievable had happened. In his daughter's becoming husband Keith had found an ally.

Before, Juandíssimo had introduced Wanda already to his parents and he assured Keith that they were happy to give them their blessing. From what Wanda and Juandíssimo told Keith about that meeting they really seemed to have taken a shine to Wanda. Keith and Juandíssimo decided that he would bring his parents as soon as possible so the two families would forge bonds.

Keith still remembered Wanda's very romantic and admittedly kitschy ideas of her perfect wedding when she had been a little girl. He had been willing to make her dreams all come true. A designer dress, hundreds of guests, diamond wedding rings, doves, horses and a carriage – whatever Wanda wanted, she should get the fairy-tale-wedding she had always dreamed of, regardless of the expense.

There had been only one thing that mattered to Keith. As soon as they were engaged he wanted to remind Wanda of the request she had made as a little child. The request that one day he would lead her to the altar, something that he had always considered as far away. But now that the day came closer he unexpectedly looked forward to it. He had wondered if Wanda still remembered that promise and if she didn't what she thought about it now. Surely she still wanted him to lead her to the altar. Maybe it would make him a little melancholy but as long as Wanda was happy nothing would cast a cloud over that special day.

When Keith had asked Juandíssimo if they wanted to have kids he had said yes. The question of how many children they dreamed of made Juandíssimo taking a moment to get over his surprise. But then he had answered with a happy grin on his face:

"_A whole bunch!"_

Throughout all these years Keith had been so focussed on his role as a father that he hadn't ever thought of himself as a grandfather. He had to admit that he loved the imagination. He imagined a very happy family with Wanda, Juandíssimo and their children. He was sure that they would start the blissful family he had always dreamed of himself. Maybe the family Keith had started would never be as perfect as he wished but finally happiness would find its way into his life.

The fact that Wanda and Juandíssimo hadn't even moved in together yet would probably have made him more critical if he hadn't been filled with so much anticipation. After Juandíssimo's confession that – according to his words – they wanted to have "a whole bunch" of kids Keith's first thought had been:

_'If they want to have a whole bunch they'll need a big house.'_

So Keith had already decided for a wedding present. He wanted to give them a house, beautiful, spacey and not far away from his own. Juandíssimo had been thrilled by that thought and he couldn't await starting his life together with Wanda.

They had planned it all. Only two weeks after Wanda had introduced Juandíssimo to her family a gala Keith gave every year took place. On that evening Keith didn't only want to introduce his future son-in-law to the people. Juandíssimo and Wanda had agreed to perform one of the choreographies they had become celebrities for. Right after that Juandíssimo should bring Wanda to a place where they were a little more private to propose to her. When they had returned Keith was sure to announce their engagement and first plans for the wedding.

* * *

_Proudly Keith patted Juandíssimo's back._

"_I'm so looking forward to calling you finally my son-in-law" Keith confessed one week before that fateful evening would come. "Wanda needs a man at her side who is exactly like you. Someone I also can rely on."_

"_You can" Juandíssimo promised. "In one week I'll be calling her my fiancé."_

"_I can't wait until that evening" Keith replied. "First you'll impress everyone with your new choreography and then we'll announce your engagement."_

"_With a little help from you, Cynthia and Blonda everything's going to run like a clockwork" Juandíssimo predicted._

_Although Keith was full of joy he turned serious. Juandíssimo seemed to notice the change of atmosphere and hid his smile._

"_I'm really happy that you'll become my son-in-law. Really. But still I want you to know one thing…" Keith began and then said the exact same words he would tell Cosmo many years later in a much harsher way. "When you beat Wanda, when you dare to cheat on her and when you force her to do something she doesn't want to do, I will find out about it. And then… you are dead."_

_Juandíssimo didn't consider these sentences as a threat. To him it seemed more like a warning he would have given himself in Keith's place as well. He knew how protective Wanda's father was and that his daughter's well-being was the most important thing to him._

"_Then I guess I'll live forever," Juandíssimo had countered in the calm way which let Keith know that he didn't have to fear any of his terrifying visions._

* * *

Everything had seemed clear to him. The wedding, their house, their children – he had been so sure that all these things would be going to happen. Everything he had ever planned had always happened just the way he had wanted it too. Everyone had always cooperated, everyone had always followed his command.

But the evening he had wanted to become the night of his daughter's engagement had been the very first time that Wanda hadn't followed her father's plans.

If he hadn't been absorbed in his own joy he would have noticed that something was going on with Wanda. But he had nothing let him distract him from his "perfect" plans. Only when the first phase of his plan had failed because of Wanda he had felt like something was wrong. It was a feeling Keith normally ignored but that he didn't believe himself that Wanda was all right confused him. Keith hated it about himself that he always reacted with aggression if he was confused but he couldn't help it. By now he wished he had asked Wanda why she hadn't done what had been planned and why she hadn't looked forward to that evening at all. But all he had done was turning his back on her not without giving her an angry and disappointed look, which had hurt Wanda even more than the humiliation of failing in front of all the guests.

In spite of the dejected atmosphere Juandíssimo had still been willing to propose to Wanda. He had assured Keith that the rest of the evening would go off according to plan. To his own surprise Keith had believed him. He had tried to forget about that first part of the night because when Juandíssimo and Wanda came back he would announce their engagement. That news would be nothing compared to what had happened before.

_'Everything will work according to plan,'_ Keith had calmed down himself. _'I'm in control.'_

Wanda had decided differently.

The events had come thick and fast. When Juandíssimo had returned and told him about Wanda's answer to his proposal it had been for him like a slap in the face. He had expected her reaction even less than a simple 'No' and only by now Keith knew how much this meant. If he hadn't felt absolutely worn down he might have gone himself to talk to Wanda.

But he would only talk to her again when everything was too late already, when the ambulance had already been along the way.

* * *

"_All I've ever done is swallowing and remaining silent…! I never blamed anyone but myself and I tried not to annoy anyone by talking about my problems…! I've always hidden them… I exactly did what you taught me, Daddy…!" Wanda defended herself desperately sobbing and huddled up in front of her father. "I only didn't tonight…"_

_Keith couldn't believe what Wanda was saying. About him, what he had taught her, how he had treated her, about her mother and her sister._

"_You've always spent more time with her although she was more bad-tempered than I was! She even refuses the name you gave her! I fought for your love and appreciation so long and it was pointless all these years!" Wanda shouted despairingly._

* * *

Looking back Keith had to admit that he might knew what Wanda had meant. He loved his daughters equally but they were very different from each other. Wanda had always been the calmer and shyer one. Wanda had always needed her father to protect her, to take her in his arms when she cried, to help her up again when she had fallen down.

But all Dorothy had ever wanted was attention. Whenever she fell she had gotten up again on her own, when someone had treated her badly she had stood up for herself. All Dorothy had demanded from her father was his praise, that he told her how good she was at certain things.

Compared to her sister Dorothy's way of getting attention had been more aggressive than Wanda's. When he and Wanda had been playing together Dorothy had often rushed in and told her father again and again that she needed to show him something she had drawn, crafted or discovered. But she had always done it in that sweet way which didn't let him see how obtrusive she had acted. He had given in to her almost every time, leaving Wanda alone who then had been terribly sad that her Daddy rather went with Dorothy than staying with her.

But in that night Keith had still been far away from that confession. And many other ones too.

* * *

"_You don't love me, you love controlling me! You love feeling superior to me and who am I anyway? Some stupid child with no idea of anything! That's the only way you can feel strong! If others are weaker than you are!" Wanda had shouted crying and sobbing. She had said so many things which must have been on her chest for years. "I couldn't suppress my own feelings any more after I had heard you and Juandíssimo talking one week ago! After I had become absolutely clear about the fact that you don't love me…! That you could only show real interest in me if I gave birth to your grandchildren! That's all I will ever be for you…!"_

"_I just want you to be safe! I want you to be protected! I just want someone to take care of you to make sure that you don't get hurt and have to suffer pain! You don't know how cruel this world can be!" Keith yelled._

_Wanda started once again. Only in fear she dared to raise my head._

"_I do know," she answered quietly."You've shown me."_

_He turned around, walked some steps to take a vase from a table to throw it on the floor where it burst into hundreds of pieces. The loud sound made her flinch and Wanda pressed her head against her knees, crying._

"_I'VE SHOWN YOU HOW CRUEL THS WORLD CAN BE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE DONE FOR YOU? I WORKED EVERY DAY FOR MY CHILDREN, FOR DOROTHY AND FOR YOU! I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL I HAD AND THAT'S YOUR WAY OF SAYING THANKS? I CAN'T BELIEVE…!"_

* * *

All these things Wanda had said had confused him. He wished he could have reacted differently than being aggressive, shouting at her although she was lying on the floor, suffering an emotional breakdown. He hadn't wanted to believe that he had been the one who had caused Wanda so much pain. He couldn't believe that she thought he didn't love her.

He had been so sure that Wanda had been wrong that he hadn't waste one thought on understanding her. It felt clearly wrong but his pride had kept him from kneeling down to her and taking her into his arms. Maybe it also been fear that she could reject him…that she could have been right with everything she had said.

* * *

_Wanda tried to stand up but her legs were weak and the high heels of her shoes made it even harder._

"_I'm sorry that you've been punished with a bad child like me, Daddy…I'm so sorry." She grabbed the banisters next to her to stand up. She didn't look at him but at the floor. "I know I can't apologise for what I've done. I've ruined it all. I always did, I always do. You don't deserve a bad child like me, Daddy." She swallowed but still new tears ran down her face. "I'll just leave, Daddy! You won't see me ever again, I promise! I'll just get out of your life… I can't do more for you, Daddy…" Slowly she went up some stairs. "I just failed at being your daughter. I just failed. I'm so sorry, Daddy…I'm so sorry…"_

_Very clumsily and slowly she went upstairs to reach her former room._

By now he wished he had told her that she was a wonderful daughter, that he loved her, that she hadn't ruined anything and that he wanted her to stay so they could talk about everything. Keith still hated himself for what he had said instead.

"_Do you think that way you can make up for everything?" he asked despising. "No, Wanda. You can't!"_

_The contempt in his voice caused her a new wave of tears, which she wasn't able to hold back. She covered her face and began to run upstairs. She stumbled often and fell once but Wanda didn't care._

"_Tell me instead how I can make up for being such a horrible father! Don't just run away! TELL ME HOW TO FIX THIS, WANDA!" he shouted after her._

* * *

These reproaches were the last thing he would have told her for a long time.

Juandíssimo and Wanda had left in the same night but not together. No one had to tell the guests of the gala that the party was over. Without another word they had all left the party bit by bit. The servants had tidied up the house and the garden just as silently and left without wishing a good night. Although he hadn't wanted to admit it Keith hated being treated like a dangerous monster that could freak out any second. But this night he had been grateful that no one had spoken to him. He had still been too furious about Wanda's words of which he had been so sure that they weren't true.

When Cynthia had come back from the hospital some hours later she had found her husband sitting apathetically in the living room. Keith had been close to tears and all Cynthia would have had to do was taking him into her arms. But instead her never changing smile had been back already and she had asked him if he wanted a cup of tea.

He had wanted to shout at her how she could ask him a question like that when their life lay in ruins, when their daughter just broke with them and told them that they had never loved her. He had wanted to ask her how she could still keep her composure, why she didn't cry or shout as well. But talking had done enough damage tonight.

And so Keith had just stood up and slapped Cynthia with full force. She had almost fallen from the armchair she had sat on. For the first time in years her smile was gone. He had enjoyed the feeling of finally having defeated her hated smile. But when she had tried to speak her smile was about to return and so he had once more hit her. He had slapped her again and again with the same hand which wore his wedding ring. He had been willing to beat out that hated smile of her.

He had kept hitting her until her nose, her lips had been bleeding, until she had started to cry, until his hand had begun to hurt as well. Only when she had been lying on the floor and begged him to stop crying bitterly he had let her be.

_'Business as usual,'_ Keith had persuaded himself some days later. For almost one week neither him nor Cynthia had left the house. When he had decided that he had to do his duty in spite of everything he had forced himself to going back to work. One of his brothers had asked him carefully if he was all right but Keith had snapped at him and so everyone knew that Keith didn't want to be asked questions.

Cynthia stayed home for almost one year. No one had questioned it. Everyone had thought it had been about a mother's pain of losing her child. In fact it was no decision she had made but Keith. First he had commanded her to stay home because of her injuries. But when he had realised that people were talking about what had happened that night he had felt aggression growing inside of him. Although they stopped whispering immediately when they knew that Keith was in hearing range he noticed the gossip. But snubbing at these people wasn't enough. So he developed the habit of beating Cynthia whenever he encountered people like these.

Sometimes it was something she said or did that made him slap her but mostly he just commanded her to sit down on the same armchair like in that one fateful night. Then he simply drew back his hand and vented all his anger on Cynthia. She became terribly afraid of her husband and even curled up in their bed at night fearing she could do something to anger Keith.

Only once her injuries were so bad he had to call an ambulance. It was on a day of autumn when he had checked his bank accounts and discovered a credit transfer from Wanda's account to his. The huge sum of money had confused him but the reference line had answered his question. It said only one word: 'House'.

Wanda had sold the house he had bought for her when she had moved out.

_'But where does she live now?' _Keith had wondered worriedly. The thought just hadn't left him and so he had driven to Wanda's former home. It was all empty already but still he hadn't given up ringing the bell. Only when a neighbour had told him that Wanda didn't live in that house any more he had stopped. He had asked the neighbours, her ex-colleagues at work, even Juandíssimo but no one had been able to tell him where Wanda had gone.

They only told him how awfully desperate Wanda had been after she had come back. After some months she had quit her job and the neighbours had seen her only once or twice a month going to the supermarket. She had refused everything and everyone, not even her close friends had been able to reach her. They only remembered the rings under her empty eyes, that she had never said more than necessary and some told him about scratch wounds on her arms of which they suspected that she had caused them herself.

He had known that Wanda had been suffering because of _him_. But it was a different feeling of guilt from after her rape when he had been sure he had failed at protecting her. Now he was haunted by the thought that _he_ had been the devil all along. He still wasn't able to put in words what he had felt but he only wished to find Wanda. It was no lack of money that kept him from hiring a private detective. It was an imagination which filled him with humiliation. He couldn't stand telling someone: _"Find my daughter because I have no idea where she is. She ran away from me because I tortured her since she was born without realising it."_

When he had come home again after finding out about Wanda's disappearance he had told Cynthia again to sit down in that armchair. But this time he hadn't just slapped her, he had kicked her, had pulled her on her hair over the floor and then he had pushed her into the class cabinet. It had fallen down on Cynthia and shattered into thousands of sharp pieces which had plunged into her whole body.

When he had seen Cynthia lying in a growing puddle of her own blood, whimpering and sobbing he had slowly turned away from her. He couldn't believe himself what he had done, what monster he was. He had realised that Wanda had been right with everything she had said, that she was right with running away from him. In that night he had confessed it all to himself and since that terrible fight he had cried for the very first time.

He had been so shattered he hadn't cared that he had still been crying when he had called an ambulance for Cynthia after more than one hour. She had barely moved and the blood in her face had dried already when Keith had bent down next to her. Carefully he had caressed her cheek although his touch had made her twitch. Until the ambulance had come he had whispered tender words into her ear. He acted as affectionate as possible if only Cynthia wouldn't be afraid of him any more, if only she didn't consider him as a monster as well.

When the doctors asked how this had happened Keith ha simply answered:

"_It was an accident."_

Cynthia had nodded silently. It would have been the last time Keith would beat his wife but still her wounds took about six months until they had healed completely.

Concerning Keith's confession: His state of seeing reason didn't last long.


	9. Unspoken Part C

_I made a huge cake for my reviewers and it belongs completely to **Miss Hal Gibson. **#hugs her tightly#_

_And to all the others: I know you're still there. My almighty traffic stats tell me so. :D Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Unspoken (Part C)**

Slowly and painfully Wanda's absence had turned into a routine. When her face had healed again also Cynthia's smile returned and thus the illusion that everything was perfect. Blonda had begun playing her role as a nurse in a TV series and Keith watched it often. The reason wasn't the series itself but the wish to participate in Blonda's life. He had wondered if he had also hurt Blonda but he didn't dare to ask. It had seemed to him like he was the only one who still thought about Wanda. Cynthia and Blonda obviously had put up easily with Wanda's disappearance. But only when the first Christmas without Wanda had come and Keith had seen Blonda smiling in a similar faked way like Cynthia it had become clear to him who had taught Blonda how to be an actress.

Only by now Keith had realised how much time and power he had spent on being Wanda's protector. Now that she was out of his life he felt a huge void. After all the things he had done to Cynthia he knew that she was more focussed on being protected _from_ him than by him. By now she had returned to her role as a happy always smiling wife but Keith still noticed that she flinched whenever he touched her.

If there was something Blonda hated then it was someone who tried to protect her. Sadly for her this was what her father had started to do. He had started to call her as often as possible and although Blonda mostly tried to get rid of him as quickly as she could her father found out more about her lifestyle than Blonda would ever have been ready to show him – especially everything concerning her love life. He had to find out that Blonda treated these things much more casual than he had thought he had taught her to.

They often argued. Keith had realised that just because Blonda had never contradicted him it had never meant that she had the same opinion like he did. Obviously Blonda hadn't ever had a problem with lying to her father if it saved her privacy. She was used to her independence and her freedom and Keith's wave of protectiveness was a thorn in her eye. As Keith had thought that he was more than right with his concerns he didn't waste a thought on letting Blonda live on her own, hedonistic way of life.

Their fights reached the peak when one day his brother Carmino had come sheepishly into his office.

* * *

"_What is it?" Keith asked a little impatiently as he had to prepare an important contract._

"_I…I just met our intern in the copy room, you know? Well, he…he had this magazine and…" he explained carefully with the mentioned magazine behind his back._

"_And?" Keith asked irritably._

"_I thought…well…" his brother began but then decided to hand to magazine over to Keith. Roughly he took it out of Carmino's shaking hands but froze when he looked at the cover. It was an issue of fairy world's most popular erotic magazines: The Pleasure-Seeker._

_But more importantly: The scantily dressed woman on the cover was no one else but his daughter Blonda._

"_Oh my…" Keith uttered speechlessly. Carmino carefully withdrew from his brother's office._

_The headline said: "Happy Easter with Blonda!" and showed his daughter in white lingerie, bunny ears, a white tuft attached to her panties and with a small basket filled with Easter eggs in her hands. He didn't know why he tortured himself by opening the magazine and looking at all the other photos of her. With every page he turned Blonda's position became a little more suggestive and her clothes became fewer until she wore only her bunny ears on the last page._

_After finally being able to take his eyes off that picture he closed the magazine and pushed it to the very edge of his desk. He covered his mouth with his hand like he was about to throw up and Keith felt indeed the urge to vomit. Although he tried to suppress the thought he exactly knew what other men felt when they looked at these photos. But he was even more disgusted at the imagination of what other men _did_ when they stared lustfully it these pictures of his daughter._

_The unlucky intern who Carmino had taken the magazine from was fired on the same day. Keith commanded his brother to withdraw that magazine from calculation under any circumstances and set off to Fairywood on the same day._

"_DOROTHY VIENA FAIRYWINKLE!" he shouted when he pushed open the door to Blonda's trailer near the film set. Blonda started and dropped the brush in her hands. "You are now going to explain what that's supposed to be!"_

_A cold shiver went through her body when she saw her father smashing down the newest issue of "The Pleasure-Seeker" on the coffee table before him. She swallowed before she tried to explain calmly that this photo shoot had been a very important step for her career. She had come up with the idea herself and her manager had pulled many strings to realise it. But her father wasn't ready to listen to the story behind it, he didn't understand how she had been able to undress for the rest of the world._

"_That's pornography!" Keith accused her furiously._

"_It's art!" Blonda contradicted. "Daddy, I'm grown up! I can decide for myself!"_

"_Obviously you can't!" Keith countered and grabbed her hand. "Listen, young lady! I knew that all your drama courses were a mistake! This whole show business has tainted you! You are now coming back home with me!"_

"_I…what?" Blonda gasped when her father began to pull her with him._

"_That's right! You'll quit! I'm not letting you stay here for one more second!" he decided but with a sudden movement Blonda freed herself from her father._

"_Forget it, Daddy! I'm not a child any more! You can't command me!" Blonda contradicted, her voice shaking. Keith saw the fear in her eyes._

"_I am your father, Dorothy! You're coming with me now or-"_

"_Or what?" Blonda yelled clenching her fists. "Are you going to beat me up like Mum?"_

_Keith froze. He had told Cynthia to keep these incidents a secret. That Blonda knew about that phase paralysed him. But he swallowed and pulled himself together again._

"_Dorothy, I have never-"_

"_And now you're LYING to me?" Blonda shrieked. "Come on, Mum might be spineless but she's no clumsy clot! You don't expect me to believe that in six months she fell down the stairs and ran into the doors a dozens of times! You hit her! And probably you enjoyed it!"_

"_YOU CAN'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Keith shouted. Blonda started but she didn't give in._

"_But you can?" she countered strongly although the loudness of her voice couldn't be compared to her father's. "Believe it or not but I am grown-up and I don't need your money any more like Mum does! And I also don't need your protection like Wanda did! FACE IT DADDY! I DON'T NEED YOU!"_

_Blonda was panting after shouting with all her strength. Keith noticed her fists shaking but she didn't bat an eyelid. She was willing to fight in spite of her fear. Keith wanted to yell at her and he knew that if he shouted at her only long enough he would bring her to her knees. But although the reflex of not letting Blonda feel stronger told him to do exactly this he resisted. If he didn't he would yell at Blonda until she had an emotional breakdown and ran away from him like Wanda._

_Giving in hurt his pride deeply and this night he would be tempted to vent his anger on Cynthia again. But he knew losing Blonda as well would hurt even more. His eyes were sparkling with anger because of the defeat against his own daughter._

"_Have it your way, Dorothy," he crunched angrily. "But these magazines…" He raised the issue of 'The Pleasure-Seeker' in his hand and then shouted: "THEY'RE GOING TO DISAPPEAR!"_

_Keith tramped out of Blonda's trailer and smashed the door behind him, not knowing that Blonda broke down right after her father had left._

* * *

By buying up all the magazines Keith had achieved what he had wanted at the least: Making these erotic photos a career springboard for his daughter. The media reported on how quickly the issue featuring Blonda was sold out and without knowing the background story this was celebrated as a huge success. After an intensive conversation with the editor-in-chief of 'The Pleasure-Seeker' Keith had made sure that the photos of Blonda would be destroyed and never published again.

From that day on the contact to Blonda consisted only out of visits on birthdays, family meetings and holidays. She called now and then but it was never the other way around. Blonda had drawn clear lines and there were obviously many parts of her life she wanted to exclude her family from. Keith had no choice but to accept her will. If he had demanded more Blonda would have pushed him away once and for all.

Just everyone had turned away from him. Neither his wife nor his daughters needed him. All they had left for him was fear. Maybe Cynthia still depended on his money but that was nothing irreplaceable. If they got divorced and she found no work on her own he was sure that there were many men who wanted to have Cynthia as a trophy at their side and who would provide for her in exchange.

But only imagining Cynthia with another man at her side drove Keith insane. He didn't want to know how he would react if she told him that she wanted to get divorced from him and he hoped that he would never find out. He only knew that he would react as the monster he obviously was. But if Keith feared the outcome of a conversation like that himself then how scared was Cynthia?

Keith began to bury himself in his work. He wanted to do his work like no one else, he wanted his employees to need him. He didn't want to be replaceable. When he worked, when he had things to do, he was distracted and couldn't think about Cynthia, Blonda and Wanda. After a long day he fell asleep very easily and mostly he didn't dream of his wife or his children if he hadn't thought about them on the day before.

Things had been like that for many years. Every day had been grey and at best emotionless. But after all these years the day had come when something had changed, the day when he had met Wanda again.

* * *

_It was raining for some days already. December was very mild this year and having a white Christmas was as good as impossible. His job had brought Keith already often to Feather City. It was one of the most important cities in fairy world, a metropolis, a junction of information, business and relationships. In Feather City he always expected to meet nearly everybody. Every business partner, every employee, every rival. But not her._

_Even if Wanda was in Feather City at the same time like he was the chance of meeting her among thousands of fairies was very small. Yet it had happened. Destiny had played in a strange way._

_The fairy ministry in Feather City had hundreds of departments. There one could organise nearly everything. Even meeting in that building – unless it was planned – was almost impossible._

_After waiting for an unexpectedly long time he had finally organised certain documents. Looking at the papers in his hands he walked towards the exit. But he stopped when a crowd of people blocked his way. Only now he realised that the people here were whispering excitedly and he wondered why._

_A little roughly he paved his way through the crowd. They had formed a semicircle around a door and even the brave ones kept some distance to it. Keith listened carefully and then recognised one voice: Jorgen van Strangle. Although he had no business on earth Keith knew the loud and rough voice of the one who was responsible for magical matters on earth. That he was shouting was anything else than surprising and no one would have noticed it if there hadn't been one fact: Someone was shouting back at him._

_There were only few people who dared to defy Jorgen and even if you dared it mostly had a bitter end. But the woman who was yelling at him didn't seem to fall back. The loudness of her voice could even keep up with Jorgen's._

_People started and suddenly pretended that they had other things to do when the door was pushed open violently. Everyone tried to get away except for Keith. The first thing he saw was a pink shock of curls he knew only too well. He had immediately recognised the colour of her hair. It was a little more intense than her mother's and Blonda's (natural) hair colour._

_The only thing that confused him about her hair was how short it was. The last time he had seen her years ago it had been very long, it had already reached her elbows. She had liked her long hair so much that he hadn't ever thought that he would see her with short hair._

_She wore black boots, jeans, a white coat and a handbag. She was taking firm steps towards the entrance. In spite of the loud fight she seemed oddly relaxed, like Jorgen would never be able to harm her._

_Seeing her didn't seem real to Keith. He couldn't believe it and thought that his eyes were playing a trick on him. If he looked at her long enough he would realise that this woman wasn't his daughter. It was too good to be true._

"_WANDA! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Jorgen shouted and came after her._

"_Watch me, Jorgen!" Wanda countered indifferently and without looking at him._

"_Wanda, he has gone too far! I can't tolerate this any more!" he answered intransigently and grabbed her shoulder to make her turn around. But when he was facing Wanda he immediately felt the peak of her wand's star under his chin._

"_You know what I can't tolerate? Someone who's trying to separate our godson and us," she countered dangerously. Jorgen swallowed._

"_It's got to have consequences," he answered a little less coldly than before._

"_You want consequences? I'll show you consequences. Just tell me how you'd rather wake up: as an bath plug or as a toilet brush?" she asked ironically._

"_Y-You couldn't do this, Wanda! It's forbidden! They'll find out! In the end you'll be screwed and not me," he replied but obviously growing a little weaker._

"_Bring it on," Wanda countered calmly but the angry sparks in her eyes let Keith know that whatever her punishment would be Wanda would accept it. "I'm sure I don't fear a penalty as much as you fear the humiliation."_

_Wanda pressed her wand more forcefully against his throat and Jorgen had no choice but to fall back. She didn't bat an eyelid and so Jorgen had no choice but to turn away from her. Mumbling some curses he tramped back into his office and smashed the door behind him._

_Contently Wanda let her wand slide back into her handbag and turned around. Immediately she was surrounded by some people._

"_How do you always do this, Wanda?" Binky asked her admiringly. "You never let him beat you! You're my heroine!"_

_Three others around her showered her with praise and admiration._

"_Oh, that was nothing," Wanda answered modestly. "Any godmother would do the same thing."_

_Although the employees would have to suffer from Jorgen's terrible mood for the rest of the day they were glad that Wanda showed him from time to time that he wasn't the master of the universe. They didn't even accept Wanda's apology for causing them trouble. After assuring her that they would survive another of Jorgen's bad days they finally let her go._

_It was only then when Wanda noticed her father standing just some metres away from her._

_He watched her paralysing, just like it had happened to himself. All the fairies around them were talking, walking, running, complaining, waiting. But among all these fairies who had something particular to do there were Wanda and her father staring at each other._

_Keith knew that they could just look away, pretend that they had never seen each other. But something told him that he couldn't let that chance go. He didn't really know himself what he was doing when he walked towards Wanda. Only hesitantly Wanda went some steps towards him as well. He hadn't seen her face for years but still he recognised every detail – not because her and her sister's face were very similar to each other._

"_Hello Wanda," he greeted her. She swallowed before she answered._

"_Hello Daddy," she replied._

_She avoided a clear answer when he asked her what she was doing here. He didn't really care for her exact words. Hearing her voice again after a long time was just too strange. Keith suggested drinking a coffee together and hesitantly Wanda agreed. Without saying a word they had sat down in a café right across from the ministry. If he had paid any attention to her hands he would have noticed that she was hiding the hand which wore her wedding ring in the pocket of her jacket. When they had sat down she removed the ring underneath the table and placed it in her handbag without her father noticing it._

"_How are you?" he asked her. Both felt awkward about the situation and Wanda's answers were very short. Still he found out that she had become a fairy godmother by now and that she was living on earth with her godson. She didn't mention her husband and Keith didn't ask. After Juandíssimo he couldn't imagine another man at her side._

"_His name is Timmy," Wanda told him warming her hands on the cup in front of her. A little smile played about her lips. "He's a good boy, very sweet and kind…" Wanda chuckled cheerfully when she continued a little sarcastically: "And he always listens to my advices…and he has perfect teeth."_

_She raised the white porcelain cup in front of her to her lips._

"_Sounds like you're happy," Keith answered when Wanda took a gulp of her cappuccino. He wanted show her that he was glad for her but the situation was still feeling so strange and unreal for him. His voices sounded rather neutral._

_Slowly Wanda let her cup sink again._

"_I…" she began and then cleared her throat. "I am."_

_Keith had barely talked about himself and Wanda hadn't asked any questions. For decency it would now probably have been her turn to ask about him. But the silence between them was interrupted by Keith's cell phone. He took it out and wanted to reject the calling one but Wanda showed him with a gesture that it was okay for her if he answered the call._

"_Hello?" he replied after pressing the cell phone against his ear. "No, sorry…that's bad now. I'm busy… I know we have an appointment but…"_

_He was interrupted by Wanda who had bent forward immediately._

"_It's okay. I have to go now too," she countered quickly but Keith sensed that this wasn't exactly true._

"_Forget what I said. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," he answered unwillingly. He didn't care about calming down the customer and hung up._

"_I have to… I have to buy a Christmas present for Timmy," she gave back a little nervously. She opened her handbag and took her purse out of it._

"_You don't have to-" Keith began when she put enough money on the table to pay for the both of them._

"_It's okay," Wanda interrupted her father, put away her purse and stood up to get on her white coat. Keith knew he couldn't hold her back but he desperately wished that she wouldn't leave already. He had so many questions about her life and what he had missed._

"_You could come over for Christmas," he suggested knowing that his hope for her agreement was in vain._

"_Actually…that's not really possible," she explained without looking at him while buttoning up her coat. "I don't want to leave Timmy alone."_

_Keith sighed quietly looking down at his black coffee. He knew that children who needed fairy godparents mostly suffered from complicated family structures. Probably her godchild really needed her on Christmas – maybe even more than Keith needed her._

"_I see," he answered resignedly._

_Slowly Wanda took her handbag not taking her eyes off her father. He seemed so strangely sad to her. She didn't see the aggressive and stubborn man who had yelled at her until she had suffered an emotional breakdown. He seemed to be worn out and tired. Seeing his head bowed over his almost empty cup she couldn't help but feeling sorry for him._

"_But I could call," Wanda suggested timidly. Her father raised his head and a weak smile spread on his face._

"_That'd be nice," he replied gladly. Again Wanda was confused by the fact that he didn't try to force her to come over for Christmas, that he didn't demand his "rights" as her father. Wanda knew that she had changed in many ways since she had broken with her family and she felt the hope growing that also her father had changed._

"_Well, then…hear you," she began the goodbye and stretched out her hand which her father shook. When he didn't pull her closer to him in any way Wanda felt like she had to apologise for lying and leaving earlier that she actually had to. When she looked into his sad eyes again Wanda bent down to him and kissed her father's cheek. "Give Mum my love."_

"_I will…" he promised a little surprised by Wanda's kiss. He had to force himself not to throw his arms around her and hug her tightly and before he lost control Wanda rose up again, adjusted her handbag over her shoulder and began to leave._

"_Merry Christmas," she wished him before she turned around and went away._

* * *

Keith couldn't believe it. Wanda had given him another chance. He had tried to show himself as patient and gentle as possible. He didn't want to push or pull Wanda. He knew that he had to treat his second chance carefully.

All these thoughts had suddenly disappeared when he had found out that she had gotten married by now. Since they had met again Wanda hadn't said a word about her marriage. Keith had felt lied at, betrayed.

* * *

"_I thought we had overcome our difficulties and all these years you have hidden the fact that I have a son-in-law! I'm deeply disappointed, Wanda," Keith had told her on the phone._

"_I'm…sorry, Daddy…," Wanda had answered sheepishly._

"_Don't you think you should let me know when you get married? I'm your father!" he had complained._

"_I just tried to protect what I love," she had countered but regretted her rebellion at once._

"_Protect from what?" Big Daddy had answered challenging although he knew the answer himself. Wanda hadn't dared to answer._

_I want to get to know him better," Keith had decided. "I want to know more about the man my daughter has married. We will meet in your house and I mean your house in fairy world. I want to see what you can afford, not what you can create by magic on earth."_

"_That's…" Wanda had replied but never ended the sentence. She knew her father good enough to know when it was senseless to argue._

* * *

_If you go back to chapter 1 you'll see that we're at the beginning again._


	10. Photographic memory

_Why this chapter took so long? To make it short: Due to my bad luck and the bitchiness of certain hardware components I had to write this chapter **THREE** fucking times. AAAH! You'll notice that I changed Cosmo and Wanda's last name. (Seriously: Cosmo Cosma – how stupid is that name?)_

_I have precious** MUFFINS **for:** Miss Hal Gibson, OceanSunrise32, WandaCosmoForver, Jully aninha, CheatingAtMonkeyBall **and the awesome** Shaggelmalove **because she's awesome. ;D (One more thing: If you want to have answers to your questions please enable the PM feature in your profile. Otherwise I can't write to you!)_

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Photographic memory**

When Keith had hung up the phone after talking to Wanda it had been clear to him what had just happened: His old self had returned, the side of him which had yelled at Wanda until she had suffered an emotional breakdown and hadn't wasted a thought on trying to understand her.

The side which had lost her already once.

He hated that side himself but at the same time he knew that calling it back was nearly impossible. When he had been given a second chance he hadn't wanted this happen at any price but in a wave of anger and disappointment it had. Still Keith had told himself that there was still a way he could use this incident for his advantage:

_'If her marriage is going awfully, if he treats her badly…then I'll protect her. Then I'll get her out of there. Then she'll be glad that I interfered.'_

So Keith had come to the meeting with Wanda and Cosmo in their house in fairy world sharing the conviction that his son-in-law was a bad husband to his daughter, someone she needed to be protected from. He hadn't wanted to accept that the chance Wanda had given him was in danger.

His belief of doing the right thing had begun to waver already when he and Cynthia had stepped onto the veranda of Cosmo and Wanda's house, when Keith had stretched out his hand in order to ring the bell. Right above it hung a self-made door plate out of clay. It was painted in white and on it was written in pink and green letters:

_Here live happily married Cosmo and Wanda Spellwhite_

Only now it had become clear to Keith that Wanda's last name wasn't Fairywinkle any more. After her wedding she could have kept her maiden name or she could have decided for a double-barrelled name but instead she had changed it into _Spellwhite_, had taken over her husband's surname.

There was also the fact that it was obvious that the sign at the door had been made with love. Obviously Wanda and Cosmo had taken turns at writing after every word. In the corners they had drawn each other as cartoon figures and Wanda was portrayed with a giant curl.

Keith had known that a sign like that could not have been made by an unhappy married couple. His hope of rescuing Wanda and being her protector again had been dampened rapidly. Without knowing how he was supposed to act at the following meeting he had rung the door bell after all.

The hope had come back quickly. When Wanda had opened the door with a nervous smile she had let her parents inside and guided them into the living room. After they had sat down Keith had asked her where her husband was and agitatedly she had answered:

"_I don't know where he's got to."_

At that sentence Keith had been convinced that he had done the right thing by demanding this meeting. He had begun questioned her about her husband, if he was always that unreliable and rude. Nervously Wanda had tried to defend Cosmo and suspected that maybe something had happened to him. But for Keith her behaviour had been the proof that his assumptions had been right, that he had made no mistake.

_'People change in marriage,'_ he had told himself ignoring the lovely sign at the door. His gaze had wandered to his wife next to him. _'I should know.'_

But his imagination of Cosmo being a bad husband had reached another dimension when he had finally arrived and called through the house:

"_Woman! You better get naked because your husband is incredibly horny and eager to mount you…!"_

The imagination itself had always been uncomfortable to Keith that there were men out there who saw in his daughter something else than the pig-tailed girl that had played with dolls. But what Cosmo had said had done something even worse to Keith: It had reminded him of the day when Wanda had been a teenager, when she had come home crying and he had found out that she had been violated.

The rage that had made him attack Cosmo hadn't only been for Wanda's husband but for a big part it had been anger towards himself. Once he had promised himself that he'd never let anything like this happen to Wanda again and obviously he had failed – again.

If he could make it up, then only by punishing Cosmo instantly but just when he had drawn back his fist something absolutely unexpected had happened: Wanda had intervened. She had hidden Cosmo behind her back in order to protect him. It was clear to Keith that no woman in the entire world would voluntarily protect her tormentor. The logical conclusion was that his first impression had been wrong but that wasn't the only thing that had confused him.

Until that day Wanda had never stepped between her father and what he wanted. But when she had seen her husband in danger she had turned again into the brave and strong woman who had given Jorgen Von Strangle a dressing-down. The girl he had considered as a gentle little flower that had to be protected was actually able to protect someone else.

But not only that. When Wanda had settled the fight in the kitchen and they had gone into the living room again he had noticed a gesture of his daughter. He and Cynthia had sat down on the blue corner sofa first. When Wanda and Cosmo had entered the room as well she had pushed him a little forward so he'd have to sit down next to his father-in-law.

She had asked her husband for protection from Keith.

In his Pokémon-T-shirt, jeans, chucks, leather bracelets and with his chaotic hair Cosmo had seemed like anything else than a reliable, trustworthy husband who had prepared for the first official meeting with his parents-in-law.

_'That idiot is supposed to be my daughter's husband? My son-in-law? No, never.'_

Keith couldn't imagine that Wanda had fallen in love with Cosmo, that she claimed that he was a good husband. So Keith had set his mind on revealing that Cosmo was a bad husband.

"_I've been donating my kidney,"_ had been his excuse for his late arrival and an obvious lie. It had only confirmed Keith's suspicion and he had believed to be on the right path. But during the examination about their life, how they had met, moved in together and attended fairy academy nothing they had said had let him assume that Wanda had been forced to taking decisions she didn't want to take.

Another wave of confusion had hit him when he had been told the story about their engagement.

_'A proposal in a supermarket? It must have upset her terribly!' _Keith had thought for he still remembered Wanda's girlie and innocent dreams about her engagement and wedding that involved everything that was only halfway kitschy – and that did definitely _not_ include a supermarket.

But again Wanda's reaction hadn't confirmed his thoughts in any way. Obviously she had been happy remembering the day of her proposal. According to Keith what he had seen on their wedding video should have been another nightmare for Wanda. Once more he had been wrong.

For wedding the guest list of 50 people had been really short and Wanda's wedding dress and the decoration unexpectedly simple. In order to save money their friends had provided the live music, the cake, the photos and many more things. The groom had worn a piercing in his lower lip and he had read the words "I do" from his arm. The song for the first dance of the newly-weds had been more powerful, faster and more rocking than any other song he had thought Wanda even liked.

As a child she had once asked her father to lead her to the altar and Keith hadn't forgotten the promise he had made. But Wanda had walked towards her groom with a happy smile on her lips like this had always been the way she had wanted to go to the altar.

"_Who should we possibly miss? Everyone we love is here," _Wanda had said into the camera and confirmed the thought that she hadn't been sad about not having her father at her wedding.

'She didn't miss me because…'

During the party many guests got pleasure out of calling Wanda again and again Mrs Spellwhite because Wanda had blushed and covered her face in excitement. Losing her maiden name had obviously been a really joyful event for Wanda and throughout all these years she probably hadn't missed being a Fairywinkle for one second.

'If only he had given her a nightmare of a wedding,' Keith thought bitterly because if Cosmo had made her unhappy in any way he could have blamed him for it. But he exactly knew what Wanda's happy smile and her cheerfulness had meant: She had been incredibly proud.

She still was so proud of her wedding day that she hadn't accepted any criticism from her father. Every time he had complained about something he had considered as terrible for Wanda she had contradicted and assured him intransigently that he was wrong.

"_Wanda, go and show your mother the garden,"_ Keith had demanded after the wedding video had been over. He hadn't been absolutely sure if she'd obey but he had noticed that contradicting him had required a lot of energy. His plan had succeeded. Wanda hadn't acted like she had towards Jorgen when he had met her again last December. She had obeyed her father – one of the few actions of her that hadn't been unexpected to Keith.

The wedding and the life Keith had planned for Wanda with Juandíssimo at her side didn't have anything to do with how it had actually turned out. In fact Cosmo and Juandíssimo seemed to be as different as night and day. Juandíssimo had seemed to Keith like a young man who had indeed have his uninhibited time but who was ready to mature for his wife and their life together. Cosmo however hadn't seemed mature at all in his Pokémon-T-shirt and worn jeans.

Blonda had once called Juandíssimo a "_hunk of a man_" and Keith knew that this was no term women would use for Cosmo. Their outward appearances were completely opposite, so there had to be at least some resemblances in their characters if he looked closer. Wanda could impossibly have fallen in love with someone who didn't have anything in common with Juandíssimo.

After Wanda and Cynthia had left the living room Keith had taken a closer look at a wall full of photos. They seemed to show the history of Cosmo and Wanda's life together. Again Keith had had to realise that Wanda looked incredibly happy on _all_ these photos. Of course she had smiled on old photos together with her family as well but never in that pure and proud way. Her positions, her clothes, the choice of place had always been different from what Keith would have expected from Wanda. If he hadn't known it better he probably wouldn't even have believed that these photos showed his daughter.

All these facts would have worn him down anyway but there had been something that had made it even worse: Keith had no clue how to categorize the photos – but Cosmo did. What had been absolutely new to Keith had been very well-known for Cosmo. He had explained all the stories behind the photos so easily like Wanda had always been like that.

The whole afternoon had been one disturbing and painful lesson for Keith: He didn't know Wanda any more.

During all these years they hadn't spoken a word to one another Wanda had become a completely different person while Keith had remained the same.

'_I'm her father. I'll always know her better than anyone else_,' Keith had told himself before he had come to Wanda and Cosmo's house but now other thoughts went through his mind.

'_Has she always wanted to be like that? Has she always been like that deep inside? Did I keep her from becoming her true self? If she's so happy with him, has she been unhappy before?_'

Keith didn't want to believe how happy Cosmo made Wanda. He wanted Cosmo to be a bad husband. That's why Keith had nailed him down on his being late and the words he had called through the house when he had come home.

As the self-confident woman Wanda had become by now she probably wouldn't tolerate a man at her side who treated her badly but that hadn't kept Keith from pulling Cosmo into pieces. Someone who contradicted everything Keith would have appreciated about his son-in-law couldn't make his daughter happy.

They did have a proper life together on earth and although Keith disliked the imagination of Cosmo and Wanda filling the roles of parental figures, he knew what'd be even worse for him: If the two of them really had a child together.

By marrying Wanda, Cosmo had already found a way into Keith's family but it was a connection, which could still be dissolved. Once Wanda expected a child by Cosmo he would always have a place in the family tree.

But just as bad was the imagination of how happy Wanda would be about being pregnant by her husband, that all the things Keith was worried about wouldn't mean a thing to Wanda. Although Keith was perfectly clear about the fact that their kid would also be his own grandchild he knew that he would only see one thing in their baby: the living proof of the knowledge that Cosmo touched Keith's daughter.

'It might be cruel but…no…I could never accept _his_ child as my grandchild,' he thought bitterly.

Talking to Cosmo about having children and sex had been anything else than pleasant for Keith and he would _never_ want to picture any scene of Cosmo and Wanda being together that way. Primarily he had still tortured himself with that topic because he knew that it had been even more awkward for Cosmo. But soon Keith had found a more effective way of tormenting Cosmo: his father.

Keith knew himself that he had taken his suspicions way too far. He knew that Cosmo wasn't like his father. After all he seemed to make Wanda very happy. By now Keith was disgusted by himself and how much he had enjoyed torturing Cosmo until he had broken him down. But in truth all the reproaches and insults had had a completely different meaning.

"_How? How did you do this?_" Keith had wanted to shout. "_How did you make her so happy? Why does she show you sides of herself I've never known? How did you help her to become so strong and self-confident? How?_"

When Wanda and her mother had come back into the living room Keith had become clear about the fact that he hadn't only hurt Cosmo by insulting him. Unlike before Wanda had now sat down next to Keith. Cosmo had asked her for protection and Wanda had given it to him.

For the rest of the afternoon Keith had noticed that Wanda had been holding Cosmo's hand. She hadn't let go of it for one moment, all the time she had caressed his fingers worriedly like she had known what had been going through Cosmo's mind. Often she had looked at her husband's sad face and then at her father's. After seeing Cosmo's pain she had looked at Keith with some kind of aggression and he had to admit that he believed her capable of standing up and accuse her father of ruining her life _again_.

When they had said goodbye Keith had clearly felt Wanda's resistance when ha had hugged her. She had probably wanted to push him away and tell him that he was a destructive beast. But Keith knew what had kept her from becoming again the brave woman who had given Jorgen van Strangle a dressing-down: fear.

By now Keith knew that hate wasn't the opposite of love. It was fear. It was fear that kept people from trusting, coming closer and wanting to discover the character of another person. A person who fears someone else will never want to find out more about that person. If you fear someone you'll always think about protecting yourself and your loves from that someone. Love was a sign of courage and if fear was stronger, courage would never win.

'Wanda, Blonda, Cynthia…none of them loves me…' Keith thought desperately. 'It's not even respect they have for me…It's fear…It's nothing but fear…'

…

Keith was lying on the couch in the living room. In the ashtray on the table right next to the couch were four cigar stubs. On the coffee table, on the floor and on the sofa he had spread all the photo albums he had found. In front of the TV, next to an open drawer a lot of old video tapes were scattered. The entire night he had been thinking about his marriage, his children, his life and the result was depriving.

Carefully he removed his arm he had pressed against his eyes but groaned. Dawn was breaking and the light hurt his tired eyes. He heard that it was still raining slightly. Slowly he sat up and stretched his tensed up muscles but it didn't make him feel any better. Right in front of him on the coffee table lay a photo album, which was turned to one certain page.

The photo Keith focused showed him and Wanda as a little child. Keith was holding his daughter in his arms and rested his chin thoughtfully on her pink curls. Wanda was cuddling up to her father, pressing her cheek tightly against his chest and looking up to him admiringly and lovingly. The sun was setting in the background and gave the photo a very peaceful atmosphere.

Carefully he caressed the photo-Wanda.

'It can't have been a lie,' Keith told himself sadly. 'You _wanted_ me to take you in my arms… You wanted it…didn't you?'

Once Wanda had been so happy about having a Daddy who always protected her. She had enjoyed his protection and his closeness.

"It'd give anything to hold you in my arms like that only one more time," Keith whispered quietly to the photo. When he had hugged Wanda after the afternoon he and Cynthia had spent with her and her husband Wanda hadn't wanted to be hugged by her father. Keith was sure that he had squandered every chance he had.

After meeting her father again last December Wanda had come over to her parents for one afternoon in February. When they had had eaten Wanda and her father had gone outside and taken a walk though the gardens. It had still been very cold and they had been wrapped into their coats and scarves. Keith knew that he had had his chance when they had stopped near a turned off fountain. The words he had wanted to say had been so clear:

"_Would you mind giving your old man a hug?_"

He knew that all he had had to do was pushing himself a little. The reason wasn't that he feared being rejected. Since they had met again things had been going very well. But he knew that if Wanda had granted his wish, if he had once more held her in his arms, smelled the scent of her hair and felt her beating heart something would have broken inside of him. He would have cried and he would have told her so many things, he probably wouldn't even have known how to start.

"_I'm sorry for everything. I'm an idiot. I'm a shithead. Please forgive me."_

"_I've been thinking about you every day since you ran away."_

"_Don't ever leave me alone again."_

"_I love you, sunshine and I always will."_

If he had asked her for a hug, maybe she would have told him herself about her marriage. Probably everything would have gone off better. But Keith had let the chance pass and he knew he would get no second one.

Keith put his elbows on his thighs and hid his face in his hands. He had distanced from Cynthia a long time ago and his relationship to Blonda had always been rather superficial. Only with Wanda he had once shared more – and now he had chased her away forever.

Steps coming down the stairs distracted Keith from his thoughts. Only one moment later Cynthia entered the room. She was wearing a peach satin dressing gown and her curls were neatly bound together to a long pigtail. As always she was smiling and although she probably had woken up ten minutes ago and didn't wear any make-up there was no flaw about her outward appearance.

"Good morning, honey," she wished him sweetly and bent forward elegantly when she had reached the coffee table. "You're looking at old photos? How nice!"

Without only thinking about an answer Keith removed the photo of him and Wanda from the album and quickly left the room with it. By now Cynthia's perfection gave him urges to throw up.

He walked upstairs and then turned right. At the end of the corridor he reached the white door to Wanda's former room. After taking a deep breath he turned the handle, walked inside and closed the door behind him. Wanda's room still looked like in the days of her high school graduation. The furniture was white and the wallpaper, the carpet and the pictures at the wall were in bright, innocent colours. Her vanity and the metal bedstead had some playful, flower-like ornaments

After moving out to study medicine she had left only her old school stuff, clothes which had gone out of fashion and other small things. Wanda hadn't been in her former room since she and Juandíssimo had broken up in that fateful night. Since then only the maid had entered the room now and then in order to dust it.

Slowly Keith walked towards the bed and sat down on the mattress, which was covered with a white sheet. Next to the bed on a small table sat Wanda's old teddy bear Mister Cookie. Keith put the photo in his hands aside and took the brown, fluffy bear with cute, black eyes and a blue bow around his neck in his hands. He still remembered little Wanda's happily sparkling eyes when she had unpacked Mister Cookie on Christmas.

"_Mister Cookie protects me when you can't,_" Wanda had once explained to her father. As a small child she had taken her teddy bear everywhere and when she had grown older he had always had a place on her bed.

Holding Mister Cookie in one hand Keith reached for the photo of him and Wanda next to him on the mattress.

'You were so cute,' he thought smiling playfully. 'You took Mister Cookie everywhere you went.'

Alternately he looked at the teddy bear and the photo. Once it had been a tacit agreement that every time Cynthia was gone over night for a business trip or with a friend Wanda came over to her Daddy to sleep in his bed.

Keith had smiled every time he had seen Wanda toddling into his and Cynthia's bedroom from the mirror in the bathroom. He had exactly heard how she had climbed into the bed and hidden herself in the covers. Whenever Keith had returned from the bathroom he had lain down on the bed and then lifted the covers to discover a pink shock of curls.

"_Who have we here?_" he had asked playfully. Wanda had cuddled up to her father and looked up to him.

"_Can I sleep here with you tonight, Daddy?_" she had asked sweetly. Although Keith had known that she had to learn to sleep alone in her own bed he had never said no. When he had lain down on his back Wanda had put her head on his chest. One hand was placed on his shoulder while the other one pressed Mister Cookie as close to herself as possible.

"_I can sleep so much better when I'm here with you,_" Wanda had told him sleepily. "_Because I know that I'm safe._"

Keith had enjoyed every night Wanda had come over to him. He had enjoyed feeling Wanda's little heart beat, telling her stories until she fell sleep, hearing her steady breath and watching how her small hand slowly let go of Mister Cookie and clung to her father's pyjama instead. On the next morning he had often watched her sleeping until she had woken up. The first thing she had always done in the morning had been kissing his cheek and wishing him a good morning. When they had had the time they had stayed in bed a little longer, playing, talking or simply hugging.

Cynthia came only voluntarily closer to him when she linked arms with him at an important social event and whenever Blonda had asked him for a hug she had always left as quickly as she had come. Only with Wanda he had really snuggled and cuddled.

"_You know, sunshine,_" he had whispered to her one morning. He had been bending over her, had kissed her forehead and removed a curl from her face. "_I can't say how much I love you._"

Confusedly Wanda had blinked her eyes.

"_Why not?_" she had asked in her childish innocence, which had made Keith laugh.

"_Because there are no words for how much I love you,_" he had explained patiently.

"_Is that much?"_ Wanda had questioned, still a little confused. Smiling Keith had placed his forehead on hers. She had been just in kindergarten and couldn't understand yet what Keith tried to say.

"_Oh yes, sweetheart,_" he had assured her. "_I love you very, very, very, very much,_" he had whispered and with every "very" he had kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her nose. Wanda, who had now understood what her father was trying to say, had smiled happily.

"_I love you too very, very, very, very much!_" she had answered, sat up and given him a loud smooch on his cheek. Keith had still chuckled when she had lain down on her back again. He had bent down to her, taken her little hand and gently rubbed his nose against hers.

"_I'll always be here to protect you,_" he had replied, caressing her small fingers. "_I promise, sunshine. I won't ever let anything bad happen to you. Never ever._"

A sob emerged from his throat when the memory of his promise was mixed with that of the day Wanda had been raped. By now Keith knew that his mistake hadn't been that he hadn't known her every step. It was that he hadn't sent her to classes of self-defence, that he hadn't taught her to shout "Stop!" as loud as she could or to kick such a man where it hurt most. Keith had wanted to be her protector, just because it gave himself the feeling of being needed. His selfishness had caused Wanda so much pain and he knew he'd never forgive himself.

Never ever Wanda had needed a protector. What she had always really needed was someone to back her up, someone to hold her hand, someone to help her up when she had fallen instead of holding her so tight she wouldn't fall. It became clear to Keith that this someone was Cosmo and he deeply envied him for being much more selfless that he was.

"I'm sorry, sunshine," he whispered to the photo in his left hand. "I…I failed you. I failed you all."

Tears of remorse of not seeing throughout all these years what was now suddenly so clear to him emerged from his eyes. He put Mister Cookie and the photo aside before the tears overwhelmed him so intensively he was sure he might pass out. Unable to keep sitting upright he fell backwards on Wanda's bed pressing his hands against his eyes.

Keith could barely fathom how it had come to this. He only knew that as the oldest of his brothers he had always been the one to take the lead and to be followed. But the pattern that had perfectly worked in his original family when his parents had put all their efforts in building up the successful company he lead today had been the worst thing he had done to his wife and children. It had been a simple routine, something that had always worked before and never been questioned.

His hands slightly shaking he reached for the photo to his left. If he had seen all these things already when it had been taken he knew that he had never lost Wanda or Blonda or Cynthia.

'If there was any way to make it undone…' he thought but didn't end the sentence for he knew it wasn't possible. In his desire to keep Wanda as close to himself as possible he had chased her away, right into Cosmo's arms.

'At least…your husband makes you happy,' he admitted what he'd never be able to say out loud. 'At least _he_ knows you well enough to know what you really need.'

Wanda didn't want to have her father in her life and Keith couldn't blame her. With the other hand he took Mister Cookie, looked at him and at the photo alternately and thought bitterly of his remorse. Then an idea came to his mind.

'If there's no place for me…then maybe at least…' he pondered. Slowly he rose up again and wiped away his tears with his sleeve. 'Maybe just for…a memory.'

Keith knew that he had deeply hurt Wanda and although he still desired to have his beloved daughter back in his life he didn't want her to suffer any more because of his selfishness. He also knew that there was no way to explain to Wanda how it had come to this – he didn't understand it himself. Even if he did he knew he'd have to admit his weakness, his sadness, his mistakes and when he tried to talk about these feelings all the words were stuck in his throat. He knew he couldn't expect Wanda to help him to work on all these things. It was clear to him that it wasn't Wanda's task to solve his problems.

'I won't cling to you any more, sunshine. Not if it makes you suffer,' he assured Wanda by looking at the photo of her in his arms. The sun had risen by now and threw its warm light on Mister Cookie and the old photo of Wanda and her father. 'But…I love you. I always have. And I want you to know. I want you to remember.'

He took a deep breath, swallowed the remaining tears and then stood up.

It was clear to him what to do.


	11. Like a hurricane

_I know I planned this to be the last one but it turned out to be so long that I had to split it into two chapters. And I already cut out about 6 pages…! Man, I'm a bad author, haha._

_Of course I have muffins again for **Shaggelmalove, WandaCosmoForever, Blizzy101, CheatingAtMonkeyBall and GothicAngeloftheDead**. Thank you!_

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Like a hurricane**

In Dimmsdale the sun had just risen and also shone into Timmy Turner's room and the fish bowl next to his bed. Inside in one of the rooms of the castle an alarm clock rang and ended the sleep of two fairies.

Sleepily Wanda turned around and switched off the annoying bleep with a rough movement of her hand. Yawning she turned to her husband again, put her hand around his waist under the cover and kissed his neck.

"Good morning," she mumbled caressing his stomach which was shrouded by one of his Mickey-Mouse-T-shirts. Wanda knew that his groaning was supposed to mean 'good morning' as well and smiled. For some minutes they just lay there trying to shake off sleep.

Cosmo and Wanda didn't always sleep in the same bed. In fact they had separated bedrooms for many years already. It was nothing to worry about, it was rather normal among couples who were fairy godparents. As they spent most of the day together they knew that their relationship also needed distance and they knew that without their separated bedrooms they would have begun to annoy each other a long time ago.

Since they had come back from fairy world however a new wave of infatuation had hit them.

"_You're all lovey-dovey!"_ Timmy had complained and was very right with that statement. They stuck together the entire day, made silly jokes and gave each other nicknames. They were in love like on the first day.

When he had gotten used to the state of being awake Cosmo had a stretch and turned his head to his wife who had still closed her eyes.

"Oh, look. It's the woman of my dreams," he muttered which made Wanda smile.

"You're so sweet when you're drunken with sleep," she whispered back. "But you still have to wake up Timmy now."

Cosmo made an unhappy sound and frowned.

"Isn't it Saturday? Why would Timmy want to be woken up?" he asked twirling one of Wanda's curls around his finger.

"We want to go to Adrenaland today, remember?" Wanda answered meekly.

"Oh, right," Cosmo remembered grinning. He was looking forward to spending the day in the amusement park. On the other hand however he enjoyed lying next to Wanda.

"Good, then go and wake him up. It's your turn," Wanda decided patting his stomach.

"What if I don't want to?" he teased her and turned suddenly turned around so he lay on top of Wanda. She struggled for breath under the weight of his body. Still she couldn't help but smiling.

"You know…if you're so keen for being widowed…can't you at least think of a faster way of killing me?" she jested tapping his chest.

"No," he answered freshly. "Because this way gets me to the happiest place on earth."

With a satisfied sigh Cosmo let his face sink down on Wanda's breasts.

"You're impossible!" Wanda complained in an insulted tone. "Only on earth?"

Cosmo was still laughing when he raised his head.

"I mean the happiest place in the entire universe of course," he corrected himself.

"Better," Wanda replied contently and Cosmo placed his cheek on her pyjama top again. Gently he cuddled up to Wanda's bosom and then slightly raised his head to caress her breasts with his nose and breathed tender kisses on them. Wanda sighed with relish and let her hands run through his chaotic hair.

In her sleep Wanda's pyjama top had ridden up and now exposed her belly. When Cosmo noticed that he let his kisses wander down to her stomach. Her pants had slipped down a little too and gave a good view on her panties.

"Is that Snoopy?" Cosmo asked when he saw the print on the piece of cloth that covered her abdomen. But before he could take a closer look Wanda tucked up her legs and pulled him at eye level again. "That's mean," Cosmo moaned. "Why can't I see Snoopy?"

"Because we have to get up now," she answered calmly and caressed his shoulders. "And I want to spend the remaining minutes we can spare on grabbing your butt."

"_My_ marble butt?" Cosmo questioned but already felt Wanda's hands running down his back.

"Do you have another one?" she jested and grinned when her hands had reached his buttocks. "Now ain't that fine quality."

"Likewise," Cosmo countered after letting his head sink on his wife's chest again. More than ten minutes they enjoyed their togetherness until Wanda decided with a heavy heart that it was time to get up.

"Not yet. There's something I still need to do," he announced after taking his head off her chest.

"And what would that be?" Wanda asked playfully. After a sly grin Cosmo buried his face in Wanda's hair rubbing his nose and lips against her curls.

"Swirly-whirly-curly!" Cosmo uttered tickling his wife. His words were barely intelligible because Wanda was laughing so hard. Cosmo was satisfied when he raised his head and saw tears of laughter in Wanda's eyes. "Mission complete! Now we can get up," he decided grinning.

"You're not ever growing up, are you?" Wanda asked wiping away her tears.

"Nope," Cosmo replied winking.

"Good," Wanda answered smiling.

He stood up first and put on his fluffy slippers in form of tiger paws. While he yawned Wanda stood up as well and got on her pair of pink slippers with white hearts on them. When Cosmo took a stretch she stepped behind him and gave him a smack on his bottom.

"Now swing your marble butt out of the fish bowl and wake Timmy," Wanda decided and blew a kiss on his neck.

"I'm swinging it already!" Cosmo answered and left the room with a heavy sigh. Still smiling Wanda took her pale yellow morning gown with Asian ornaments from a chair and slipped it on. After making a knot she left the room as well and headed towards the kitchen.

Contrary to her expectations her father hadn't contacted her since the afternoon in fairy world. It was a little odd to her but Wanda didn't want to waste a thought on suspicions. Her life with Cosmo and Timmy was going very well and she didn't want to spoil their happiness by such grim thoughts.

* * *

Whistling the intros of old cartoons Cosmo walked through the corridors until he reached the entrance hall where he slid down the banisters. When he had gotten to the display case of glass containing their wands he opened it and took out his wand. But when he had turned around and raised the magical device something else caught his eye.

At the other end of the room next to the castle's doorway a locker was set into the wall. It was the mailbox for mail from fairy world. What Cosmo confused was that the little light next to the opening was blinking, which meant that they had gotten mail.

'Normally they deliver around midday. Unless…' Cosmo thought and slowly went towards the mailbox. 'Unless it's sent by express. But why would anyone…?'

Frowning Cosmo stretched out his hand and opened the mailbox.

* * *

Wanda was humming a cheerful tune when she was setting the table and taking out the bread, the cheese, buns, the sausage, cornflakes, milk and more things out of the cupboards. Besides she was preparing three mugs of hot chocolate. She paid attention to a healthy diet for Timmy, Cosmo and herself and thus she wouldn't want them to have sweets for breakfast. Chocolate however was of course an exception for Wanda.

When she heard quiet steps coming into the kitchen the first believed that Cosmo and Timmy wanted to give her a fright and turned around to be prepared. She was confused when Cosmo entered the kitchen alone, his facial expression uncertain. Then her eye caught the package in his hands.

"It came by mail," Cosmo explained. "It's for you."

"For me?" Wanda questioned. She didn't expect anything. When Cosmo handed the package over to her Wanda first read the line of addressee. It was indeed her name which was written on it although whoever had sent the package it had first begun with the first three letters of her maiden name and then crossed them out to write down her actual last name. Wanda stopped breathing for a moment when she read who the sender was. "My…father?"

While she kept starring at the package she felt Cosmo's hands gently caressing her arms.

"Do you want to open it?" he asked patiently.

"I…I don't know," Wanda answered placing one palm on her forehead. "I think…I need to…sit down."

Her eyes still focused on the package in her hands she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Cosmo was following her with one hand on her shoulder. In the living room Wanda placed the package on the coffee table and then went two steps back like its content could be dangerous.

Gently Cosmo hugged her from behind and kissed her hair.

"What do you think is inside?" he whispered.

"I…" Wanda began hesitantly rubbing her temples. "I truly don't know."

After tenderly caressing his hands around her waist Cosmo let go of her. Lost in thought Wanda walked towards one of the bay windows. Outside in the sand of the fish bowl grew beds of aquatic flowers from fairy world. Some of them were just opening as the light of the day found its way into the bowl. Other flowers which were "nocturnal" were just falling asleep again. At night when they glowed gently they weren't only a pretty decoration but also served as a plug-light for Timmy. The soft colours made the dark night a little easier for him to bear.

Thoughtfully Wanda crossed her arms and looked down to the floor. Since they had returned from fairy world she had banned her father from her thoughts. With that package he was suddenly back and she didn't know how to handle the situation.

"We could throw it away," Cosmo suggested. "Or send it back."

Wanda took a deep breath and then raised her head again.

"No," she decided, her voice stronger than Cosmo had expected it. "I'm not his puppet any more. I proved it and I can do it again."

Wanda knew that if she ran away now her father would start chasing her again and if she let him chase her sooner or later she'd be caught. If her father wanted to challenge her again she'd face him.

She turned around and together with Cosmo she knelt down in front of the coffee table. When Wanda looked around for something to cut open the package Cosmo offered his wand. Hesitantly she took it and swallowed before she tapped the package with it. One second later the duct tape closing the package was neatly cut through. After one more uncertain gaze to Cosmo she put the wand aside and opened the package entirely.

Wanda's eyes grew wider when she saw what was inside.

"That's…" she began and let her hand stroke the content. Slowly Wanda let her hands slide into the package. The small polystyrene balls rustled when she took out a brown, fluffy teddy bear with a blue bow around his neck and cute black eyes. "That's Mister Cookie."

"Mister Cookie?" Cosmo questioned scratching his head.

Gently Wanda caressed the teddy's fleecy head.

"I got him on Christmas when I was…very little," she explained. Although she remembered the day only very hazily the memory gave her a warm feeling inside. "Ever since he was my favourite. I took him nearly everywhere as a child."

A smile played about her lips when she remembered the time and she pressed Mister Cookie against her chest like she had often done it back then. His fur was still as soft as it had always been. He had been her companion, her friend and her protector.

With Mister Cookie an her arms she turned to the package and rummaged through the pieces of polystyrene to see if there was anything else in it. First she thought what she found was a postcard but when she turned it around she realised it was a photo. It showed her as a little child in her father's arms.

She swallowed. It was an awkward feeling to see a picture of herself in these young years. She hadn't seen the photos of her childhood for a long time. They were all in possession of her parents and she had never come to making prints of them.

Cosmo placed his chin on her shoulder, his eyes focused on the photo as well.

"You look cute," he commented smiling.

The longer Wanda looked at the picture the warmer she felt inside. She remembered how it had felt when her father had hugged like that. She remembered how nice and warm it was in his arms. She remembered his heartbeat, his breath, the feeling of security, the scent of cigar smoke mixed with that of Grappa. His hugs had been gentle and protective and she had loved lying in his arms.

Her eyes wandered over Mister Cookie again. She had loved her teddy bear very much but when her father had been there to take her in his arms she had put him aside very easily. She couldn't deny that he had been an affectionate father. When he had tucked her in he had always kissed her forehead – today she did the same with Timmy. Every time Wanda had been scared of a bad dream, an insect, a thunderstorm he had hugged her tightly and only let her go when she had felt better.

"_Daddy is here, sunshine," _he had whispered into her ear.

For one moment Wanda remembered his love and mentally walked the same path like her father when he had looked at these two objects. It seemed like Keith succeeded at sending her a symbol of his love. The thought that there could be something her father wasn't able to show his daughter was so close come to her mind. For one moment the chance of coming together again and sharing time again like in that old photo was actually there.

But then that moment passed.

"I didn't know my father had Mister Cookie all the time," she confessed giving her teddy bear a kiss. "I know I took him with me when I moved out for university. How did he come back to…?"

Wanda stopped when the memory hit her again. After swallowing she stretched out her arms, holding Mister Cookie and the photo as far away from herself as possible. Her heart was beating faster like her memories were an unpredictable danger. Quickly she dropped Mister Cookie and the photo on the coffee table and pulled back her arms.

"What's wrong?" Cosmo asked placing his palms on her arms. Wanda put her right hand on his on her left arm.

"I…just remembered why he had Mister Cookie all the time," Wanda whispered and looked down. After swallowing she continued: "I did take him with me when I moved out to study medicine. But…you know me, in some matters I'm pretty sentimental…I took him with me whenever I was on vacation, school trips and such. Even after moving out I had him with me whenever I visited my parents. And the last time I took Mister Cookie with me was when I…introduced Juandíssimo to my family…"

Her voice had became quieter with the last words. Wanda screwed up her eyes when she remembered that painful night when she had had terrible fights with her mother, her sister, her father and with Juandíssimo, the man she had once loved with all her heart. The scars that night had created had taken a lot of time to heal and even by now every touch with them caused Wanda a lot of pain.

"In that night I just left without taking anything with me. I was just too…shaken. Some weeks later a courier brought my things. I guess my mother sent him," Wanda suspected and she was still confused that even in that situation her mother had kept up her steady courtesy. "But Mister Cookie wasn't among my stuff. Probably she overlooked him."

When she opened her eyes again and saw her teddy bear the memory of her father shouting at her hit her. Wanda had been lying in front of him, crying bitterly, suffering an emotional breakdown and being unable to fight back. But that hadn't kept her father from yelling. His loud and harsh voice had caused her that sharp pain in her head that suddenly returned for a short moment. In an anxiety attack she moved back but luckily found support in her husband's arms.

Desperately she clung to his clothes and buried her face in his chest while Cosmo wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her curls. Wanda remembered that she had loved Mister Cookie indeed and he had been her companion for a long time. But it was also the same teddy bear she had pressed desperately against her chest when her father had shouted at her as a child.

"He didn't yell often," Wanda confessed in a whisper. "After all…he always perfectly knew how to keep us…Blonda, Mum and me…under control. But when he yelled…"

Close to tears, Wanda pressed her forehead against Cosmo's shoulder. For her there was no louder and sharper sound than her father's shouting voice. It was worse than the sound of scratching fingernails on a blackboard. When he had yelled at her as a child Wanda had known only one thought: _Make it stop._ Even though she didn't remember any more what she could have done to annoy her father like that she had crawled in front of him and sworn crying bitterly:

"_I won't do it ever again, Daddy! I promise! I won't ever be a bad girl again! I promise, Daddy!"_

"He taught us that…a good daughter is an obsequious daughter," Wanda explained. "Not that there was any sexism behind it. I think he would have demanded just as much obedience from sons." In spite of the patriarchy in her family she knew that her father was no sexist. He had never justified his position of power with the fact that he was the only man in the family. "But still…growing up in a family where your father holds on to the reins and you and your sister never see your mother contradicting him in any way…it leaves its marks…concerning your view of the sexes."

She felt how Cosmo began to play around with one of her curls.

"If you ask me…in that matter you're…uhm," Cosmo began, pressed his lips against her hair and blew his warm breath on her head while thinking. "Cured…as it were."

Wanda smiled.

"Thank you. You contributed much to that," she emphasized and loosened her tense grasp on the back of his Mickey-Mouse-T-shirt. She knew that in their relationship it wasn't about power, they were equal to each other. Cosmo had never questioned Wanda's strength and only thanks to his support she had become the confident woman she was today. But then her grip tightened again and a sob emerged from her throat when she remembered the time before they had met and after Wanda had broken with her family. "Cosmo, I think…if back then we hadn't found each other…"

Cosmo let go of her curl and tenderly lifted her chin.

"But we did find each other. That's all that counts," he tried to distract her from her sad thoughts.

After stroking Cosmo's stubbly cheek they leaned their foreheads against each other. Wanda knew that if she hadn't met Cosmo during her very depressive time, one day she would have given in to a very tempting way out of her misery: suicide.

Hesitantly Wanda turned to the coffee table again where Mister Cookie and the photo were still lying.

_Why did he send me these things?_

Although Wanda didn't fathom her father's action she knew one thing: Most of the things her father did had the purpose of proving his authority. Especially after the tensed way they had said good bye to each other she couldn't imagine by far that the package he had sent had something to do with love.

_Is my father trying to display his power through Mister Cookie and a photo?_

Wanda knew that there were many more forceful ways of proving his authority than sending a teddy bear and photo of her childhood. She also knew that her father was no person who'd fight shy of such methods. For one moment she considered again that there was something else behind the package, Keith's intention had one more chance.

"Why Mister Cookie and that photo? And why now?" Wanda asked more herself than Cosmo. Carefully she moved towards the coffee table and gingerly took the two objects in her hands again. Once more she looked into the package filled with polystyrene but she still didn't discover anything else. "If he wants to tell me something, why didn't he write a letter or at least a note?"

Cosmo moved towards the coffee table as well and placed one elbow on the surface.

"Well, if he didn't leave anything like that, then maybe because he…knew how you'd react?" he suggested timidly.

Carefully Wanda thought about his words.

"Because he knew how I'd react…" she mumbled. Her first reaction had been positive, she had been glad about having back her teddy and seeing the picture of such a sweet moment. That meant he had to know that in some matters Wanda was still a very sentimental person like she had always been. She thought that maybe he had been just trying to make her happy, maybe it was a gesture of reconciliation. Dreamily she hugged Mister Cookie again and gave the photo a tender look.

Wanda was very close to see the truth behind her father's action.

_Because he knew how I'd react…_

But then Wanda began to see it from a different side. She swallowed when she comprehended.

"He knew how I'd react," she whispered and loosened her grip around Mister Cookie. When she looked at him again her look was growing angry. "He knew how I'd react!"

With full force Wanda drew back her arm and threw her teddy bear against the wall. Cosmo started in surprise.

"He knew how I'd react!" Wanda repeated close to tears, crumpled the photo and hurled it on the floor. Sobbing she turned to Cosmo and hid her face in his chest again.

"What…do you mean?" he asked shyly and wrapped his arms around her. After taking a deep breath she looked up and Cosmo saw some tears in her eyes which she was trying to hold back.

"It was all just a plan! Nothing's changed! He still wants to own me again! He thinks I'd fall for the sentimental act and when his clueless and naïve daughter crawls back to him…!" she almost shouted with a trembling voice but then stopped and cleared her throat. She didn't want to give her father the satisfaction that he was putting her world out of joint. With a normal voice she continued: "Then he'll start with all these cutting remarks about what my husband should be like and that my life would be so much better if I let him decide about everything and that I…that I should divorce you."

"But we're not letting this happen, Wanda!" he assured her.

"How could I be so dumb?" Wanda mumbled, freed herself from Cosmo's hug and stood up. When she had walked towards the bay window and looked outside into the water again she let her thoughts wander. She almost would have blundered into her father's trap. Her father's way to rule his family had always been as subtle as effective and this way of trying to get Wanda back clearly bore his trademark. Wanda had thought that she had freed herself from his influence but now she was full of doubts.

_What would have been the next step? That I had called? Apologised for things I am not to be blamed for? Thrown away everything that means something to me?_

Wanda clenched her fists and pressed her forearms against the cold pane. When she had received that package she had known that she had to mobilize her defence and still she had given in. Therefore she was very mad at herself. She was grinding her teeth when she felt Cosmo's arms hugging her from behind.

"How could I be so dumb?" Wanda repeated. Although she had believed only for a short moment that her father was trying to make her happy she felt incredibly naïve and weak. "Everything he does…is always for his own plans. Just everything! I guess that's what being a business man brings with it… Never close a deal unless you gain a profit from it. After all he ran our family like the company. He was the boss and Mum, Blonda and I were the employees who had to follow his command." Resignedly Wanda let one hand run through her hair. While speaking she was looking at the floor. "The Fairywinkles are such a happy family, aren't they?" Wanda spat in disgust, repeating a line she had heard many times in her life. "Because they never fight and always smile."

She shuddered and looked away. The public opinion of the people that the Fairywinkles were a perfect family was one reason why Wanda had taken over Cosmo's last name when they had gotten married. To Wanda being a Fairywinkle meant lying to yourself and others.

"But now you're not a Fairywinkle any more," Cosmo reminded her and leaned his cheek against Wanda's hair.

"And I don't ever want to be again," Wanda added and took a solemn breath. Her father had wanted her to believe that he had sent her gesture of reconciliation but now Wanda knew that they were a declaration of war to everything she had achieved on her own, everything that made her happy.

After looking up she placed her palm on Cosmo's hand on her belly. Gently he began to play around with one of Wanda's curls, a minor detail she loved and which she never wanted to miss. Holding Cosmo's hand she walked towards the coffee table again. When she had picked up Mister Cookie she threw him back into the package she had taken him out from earlier. She took the crumpled photo from the floor and soothed it out to look at it one last time.

She saw herself in her father's arms and it was obvious that she had felt comfortable. Wanda knew that there also was a very gentle and affectionate side to her father but his love had its price: complete obedience. As long as she had followed his command, had let him set the rules he had been her gentle and affectionate Daddy. But as soon as she spoke only one word of dissent his demonic side would show up and shout at her until she was just a picture of misery that didn't dare to defy him – his little girl.

She knew that she seemed like she was happy on that photo but she also knew that everyone in her family was excellent at hiding problems of any kind. She didn't know herself if she had truly enjoyed any hug from her father or if she had just tried to be his good girl so she'd be safe from his unpredictability.

Wanda was sure that now she had seen it through.

_It was all a lie. I believed that illusion of happiness once. I won't do it again._

"Nothing about our relationship has ever really been good. He's got two faces and as soon as he doesn't get his will he becomes a demon. I thought I knew this! I thought I knew this…" she answered, her voice cracking. Resignedly she threw the photo back into the package as well. "I'm tired of this game!"

Roughly she grabbed Cosmo's wand from the table and with a hectic gesture she sent the package in the attic. For the moment she hoped that out of sight would be out of mind. When another sob emerged from Wanda's throat Cosmo took her hand and guided her to the couch where they sat down. She threw Cosmo's wand on the coffee table again and then buried her face in his chest.

"I'm fed up with all this!" she sobbed. "It's always been about power, just always! It'll never change! He can't stand that I have my own life now, a life he can't control! This package…it's supposed to be a warning! Why else would he think it's not necessary to write a note or something? Because it's supposed to tell what he thinks I know! That I'm his little, obedient girl and that as soon as he snaps his fingers I'll come and do whatever he commands me!" While she was crying Cosmo gently kissed her hair. "Let's face it: Since I opened that package I'm turning in circles, back and forth. He's trying to unsettle me, so I become more and more insecure until he can attack. And just look at me! He succeeded already!"

"He did not!" Cosmo contradicted her and touched her shoulders to make her look up to him. "You saw it through, didn't you? You don't intend to go back to him."

"But for one moment I thought about it," Wanda confessed and looked away. "I am not free from his influence. What if this was only the beginning? What if he's got more things planned? I know my father. He doesn't give up that easily. What if he calls? What if he visits us by surprise?" She gave a desperate sigh. "All these years I thought I had found closure. I thought I had left it behind. But I didn't…it's all back. The fear and the insecurity…and the knowledge that any second something might happen," Wanda whispered and began to cry quietly. "It's all back…"

Desperately she covered her face. Her father might have caused her just a graze but still Wanda had been hit at a very sensitive spot and even a little wound would spread and cause more pain than the actual attack. She could cope with one wound but she didn't believe that this had been her father's last move.

The well-known feeling of pressure returned, mixed with anger towards herself and fear. These emotions grew stronger, alternated faster and faster until they all became pain and that pain became manifest in another symptom, something that Wanda hadn't felt in many years. An itch dancing up and down her arms and shoulders, pretending that it was just a normal feeling but Wanda knew that it was her own demand to hurt, to punish herself.

Wanda instantly knew that she couldn't fight that feeling – and so she gave in.

Her hand slid underneath her morning gown and her pyjama top. She began scratching her shoulder quickly to satisfy the pain as soon as possible.

"W-Wanda?" Cosmo asked insecurely as he watched her. When she didn't answer it became clear to him what she was doing. Helplessly he offered his arm. "Hurt me if you want! But please Wanda…don't hurt yourself!"

Wanda shook her head. Only once she had accepted that offer and then felt incredibly guilty afterwards for causing Cosmo the pain that was supposed to be her own. Her scratching became slower but more intensive until she rammed her fingernails as deep into her own flesh as possible. She gritted her teeth and screwed up her eyes and in some way she was enjoying the pain and the release and relaxation it brought with it. She felt that this was what she deserved and it made her feel calm. It was that feeling she had practised self-harm so many years for.

Her hand tensed up in that position until the itch faded away and finally disappeared. Also her hand relaxed until she was able to let go of her own shoulder. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the steadiness that pain had brought her. But then she took a look at her hand and discovered some drops of blood on her fingertips.

When she began to cry again the reason for her tears wasn't the physical pain. Cosmo knew that as well when he took Wanda in his arms again. In shame she covered her face as tears quietly streamed down her face.

"I'm a fool," she whispered between her sobs. "I thought I'm independent from him…but in truth he needs to send only one little package to mess up my whole life. I'm so pathetic…"

"You? Pathetic? Wanda you're…you're the strongest woman in the world! You're intelligent, you're gentle, you're…" Cosmo began but stopped when he realised that Wanda wasn't listening. She was too lost in her world of doubts and pain, a world her father had sent her into.

Cosmo was mad at Big Daddy for doing all these things to Wanda pretending at the same time that he was a loving father and only wanted the best for his daughter. But stronger than his anger was the desire to help Wanda, to show her that she wasn't at her father's mercy. His mind couldn't come up with a well-shaped and convincing explanation and after wasting a long moment on trying to find the right words and building eloquent sentences he decided to do something he was better at: letting his stomach decide.

Gently he removed her morning gown and her pyjama top and thus exposed Wanda's naked shoulder which was disfigured with fresh, slightly bleeding scratch wounds. Wanda was about to ask him to stop but her thoughts hushed when Cosmo let his head sink down on her shoulder and kissed the scratches.

Slowly her tears stopped flowing because her mind was so focussed on Cosmo and his action. To her his lips on her shoulder meant so much more than he had thought of himself. Wanda had always hated her scratch wounds, had considered them as so ugly and disgusting that she had never shown them to anybody, fearing that she'd be rejected if someone discovered that repulsiveness.

But that fear didn't apply to Cosmo.

When he noticed that Wanda's sobs had stopped he looked up and wiped away her tears from her cheeks.

"Is that a little better?" Cosmo asked her timidly for he didn't really know how to interpret the look on her face. Wanda sniffled back her tears before she answered.

"Yes," she replied trying to smile. "It's a lot better."

Cosmo was relieved but she still didn't seem to be over the whole thing. After an insecure smile he let his lips sink down on her shoulder again and Wanda closed her eyes.

She enjoyed his touch and she was grateful for the way he comforted her. But then Wanda began to feel guilty. That she had hurt herself didn't only worried herself but also Cosmo. Wanda felt guilty for putting him through so many concerns because she still couldn't completely control herself.

_You silly goose!_

With effort Wanda swallowed her remaining tears and wiped her cheeks dry. Gently she made Cosmo look up to her again and then pulled her pyjama top and her morning gown over her naked shoulder.

"Thank you. I'm all right again," Wanda answered and forced a smile. She noticed that Cosmo didn't seem to believe her and tried to change the subject. The wall clock caught her eye. "Oh, just look at the time! We wanted to have finished breakfast by now, didn't we? We won't ever get to ride The Spleen Puncher if we keep dawdling like that!"

Quickly Wanda jumped up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen again. Cosmo was following her with slow steps and reached the kitchen as well when Wanda was already putting out more things to add them to the others on the kitchen table.

"The milk got all warm," Wanda remarked when she touched the carton. "Silly me!"

"You know…" Cosmo began when Wanda was putting it back into the fridge and checked if there was another cool one in there. "I'm sure Timmy would understand if we postpone the whole trip."

"Postponing it?" Wanda repeated disbelievingly. "No, no! Timmy's been looking forward to this for two weeks. I'm not going to disappoint him because of all that stupid stuff. Besides…" Wanda closed the fridge, turned around and walked towards Cosmo. While speaking she played around with his Mickey-Mouse-T-shirt. "I think some distraction is the right thing now."


	12. The deceptive butterfly

_Ah! The last one! Finally! What can I say? **MUFFINS** for **wazzy593, madier1095 and Miss Hal Gibson! **And in honour of the occasion **MUFFINS** for everyone else!_ _Thank you all for reviewing, faving, subscribing and most importantly: reading. You kept me going. I hope you enjoy the last chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 12 – The deceptive butterfly**

When Cosmo took his wand and let the golden star glow he was still thinking about Wanda. He knew that she wasn't all right again but he also knew that he couldn't keep her from still going to Adrenaland. Wanda always put others before herself.

"GOTCHA!" someone interrupted his thoughts after he had left the fish bowl and it was Timmy who was jumping on him, wrapping his arms around Cosmo's neck from behind. When Cosmo had gotten over the surprise he grabbed for Timmy's legs so he could give him a piggyback.

"You're awake already, champ?" Cosmo asked grinning carefully.

"Already? Didn't you want to wake me earlier? Well, whatever! Adrenaland is going to be so awesome!" Timmy answered smirking and Cosmo let him down again. "But just so you know: There'll be no tunnel of love for you and Wanda! I've had already enough of your lovey-dovey…ness."

Cosmo chuckled quietly when he and Timmy sat down on his bed.

"Shame," he answered and played around with his wand in his hands. Timmy watched him for a long moment.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Uhm…" Cosmo began biting his lower lip. "Yes…somehow." From Timmy's worried look on his face he knew that he should tell him the truth. "You know…Wanda had to think about all that stuff with her father again…and now she's upset."

"Oh…" Timmy commented sadly and Cosmo sensed that this fact made his godson feel just as helpless as himself. After all Wanda was for the both of them the epitome of strength, love and intelligence and if they didn't know it better they'd believe that Wanda had no weak moments at all. "Isn't there something we can do for her?"

Thoughtfully Cosmo rubbed his neck.

"Good question. I tried but it didn't really work," he confessed.

While thinking Timmy tapped his chin. He tried to imagine what his godmother would do in their situation. He snapped his fingers when an idea came to his mind.

"Oh, I know!" Timmy replied and then leaned against Cosmo to whisper to him. He smiled when Timmy had ended. Although he knew that Timmy's idea wouldn't solve the problem with Wanda's father it was a nice gesture. It wouldn't make anything undone but Cosmo knew that Wanda would still like it.

"You know, Timmy…I think that's a good idea," Cosmo answered and tousled his godson's hair.

* * *

Carefully Wanda soothed out the table cloth and then stepped back to check the overall picture of the breakfast she had prepared. She had placed all the things Timmy liked best near his plate and had done the same with Cosmo's. The milk was cool and the cacao was warm. The table cloth was smooth and free of stains or folds.

The perfection she saw calmed her down. It was one of the oldest lessons she had learned:

_If you hide your problems well enough it's like they're not there at all._

But deep inside Wanda knew that her fear hadn't disappeared. After her father had sent his declaration of war it was only a matter of time until the first salvo followed. Her hand slid over her shoulder and she realised that although he hadn't attacked yet Wanda was wounded already.

Giving a sad sigh Wanda sat down sideways on her chair and buried her face in her hands. She knew she'd hide all these thoughts from Cosmo and Timmy the whole day and maybe sometimes she'd even believe her own smile. But when they came home again Wanda knew that the first room she'd go to would be the bathroom where she would lock the door and cry all these tears she had suppressed all day and maybe she'd inflict more scratch wounds on herself.

"Get a grip, Wanda!" she told herself, sat up straight and took a deep breath.

_Timmy and Cosmo have been looking forward to this so much. You're not going to ruin it. Just ignore it for a day. You've done this hundreds of times before._

She placed her elbow on the seat back next to her and then took a look at her fingernails. Once they had been long and the wounds she had caused herself with them had been very deep. Now they were short but even though they were blunt weapons they still were weapons.

When she heard steps she knew that Cosmo and Timmy were coming, sleeked back her hair and then put on she best smile she could give. As they entered the room Wanda opened her mouth to wish a good morning but she was interrupted before she could speak.

"BIG HUG!" Cosmo and Timmy called when they walked towards Wanda with open arms. Timmy hugged her tightly while Cosmo clasped her in his arms from behind. Dumbfounded Wanda put her arms around her godson. After a long embrace Timmy loosened his arms around her neck to look Wanda in the eyes.

"Did that help?" Timmy asked her smiling. "That's what you always do when I'm sad and it always helps me."

"Me too!" Cosmo agreed and Wanda felt how he kissed her hair near her ear.

"And you never let anyone of us go until we feel better! So we will hug you now until you're all right again!" Timmy decided and embraced her again, his cheek pressed against hers. "You know, Wanda…I don't know what your father said and actually I don't care. Because you're the best godmother ever! You're clever and kind and…well, the only sane one around here. Without you we'd probably be dead by now and we need you and we love you. And nothing your father says can change that! You'll always be the best godmother!"

Wanda was too touched by his words to find an answer. She felt how Cosmo kissed her cheek.

"And the best wife ever," he added gently.

"And the best tutor ever!" Timmy continued enthusiastically and moved back his head to look her in the eyes again.

"And the best cook ever," Cosmo answered.

Just like Wanda often did it Timmy raised one finger and gently tapped her nose.

"You see? You're so much and we love you for that and your father won't ever change that!" Timmy told her, repeating lines in an a little revised form which Wanda told him every time he was upset because of what others said. Wanda knew the same and let her fingers run through her hair.

If it came to others Wanda mostly knew how to treat a person that was sad and deprived but that was different with herself. As long as she could remember she had been taught to hold back her own desires and needs for she was the member of a highly respected family and as such all her actions also affected her relatives. She had always seen herself as a small gear in a great machine her father controlled. As such she always had to work. Something else wasn't acceptable. Gears which didn't work were rejected and thrown away. After that huge fight with her family many years ago this was exactly what had happened.

But now Wanda wasn't a part of that machine any more. She had found a real family with Cosmo and Timmy and when she was upset they wouldn't want her to swallow her problems like she had wanted to do it before. Unconsciously she had wanted to carry on the pattern her father had taught her without realising that she didn't have to.

Tenderly she caressed Timmy's cheek.

"That's so sweet of you, honey," she replied with emotion and raised her other hand to stroke Cosmo's stubbly cheek as well. "Of you the two of you."

She felt how Cosmo began to play around with one of her curls again.

"You know…whatever your father plans to do we won't let him realise it. Because we will keep you from playing his game by doing even more silly and dangerous things every day and you'll be way to busy with saving our necks," Cosmo tried to cheer her up and gained a laugh.

"You mean, you can increase that?" she questioned.

"Oh, you'd be amazed!" Timmy commented smirking.

"You know Wanda…" Cosmo began and she knew that he was thinking carefully about the right words. "Come what may…you mustn't forget that…you're not alone."

"So true!" Timmy agreed and pressed his cheek against her shoulder. While Cosmo caressed her belly with his hands Wanda thought about her husband's words.

Cosmo was right. Once she had had to fight her father's influence all alone and she had always had to surrender. But now things were different. She had built up her own life with her husband and her godson. They weren't related by blood but Wanda knew that this was not important. The reason wasn't only that she hadn't ever been happy with her original family and that no one of them had ever cared about how things looked inside but only about how things seemed to others.

Since they had become fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda had met many children who suffered from problems with their families. Wanda had already been with children who had been beaten, sexually abused, neglected, left alone and mentally terrorized by members of their so-called families. She had learned a long time ago that bloodlines didn't mean anything and were more the primitive instinct of belonging to a 'herd'. In most cases it was a partnership of convenience and not of love.

Wanda felt a lot more connected to Timmy and Cosmo than she ever had to her parents, her sister and other relatives. It was love which kept them together and made them inseparable, no practical thinking, no sense of duty or rule of society.

"BIG SMOOCH!" Cosmo and Timmy interrupted Wanda's thoughts and one moment later she felt forceful and loud kisses on each of her cheeks. Laughing she rubbed her slightly hurting cheeks. She looked alternately at Cosmo and Timmy and let her thoughts wander.

She had her husband who maybe didn't always behave like the grown-up man he actually was but when the worst came to the worst he was always there. Even though he sometimes didn't know what to do he always tried and she knew that in his childish innocence his stomach mostly decided for the right thing, at least in an emotional way. Once they had promised each other to stay together in good and in bad days and they were doing a good job at keeping that promise. For her he was the one and only man in her life and she always wanted him to be.

She had a godson who she in moments like these believed to love more than his biological mother ever would. He was a sweet, playful, very imaginative and deep inside he had a heart of gold. He often plunged her and Cosmo into breakneck adventures but he never really intended to endanger them – at least mostly. After all he was still a child and couldn't completely estimate the consequences of his actions and wishes yet. Even though it was Cosmo and Wanda's task to take care of him Timmy always tried to help his godparents whenever there was a problem.

Carefully she pressed Timmy closer to herself and caressed Cosmo's hands on her belly.

"I love you, boys," she whispered to the two ones who meant everything to her, who she'd do anything for and who'd do anything for her, which included hugging her whenever she felt sad.

"And we love you!" Timmy answered caressing her back. "Don't we, Cosmo?"

"More than all humans, fairies and cartoon characters have ever loved altogether," he agreed and kissed Wanda's cheek, this time a lot more tenderly. "As sure as your hair is swirly-whirly-curly!"

He rubbed his cheek against Wanda's curls, which made her laugh. But then a sob emerged from her throat and she covered her mouth with one hand.

"What's wrong?" Timmy asked worriedly when he tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart," Wanda replied.

"Then why are you crying?" he wanted to know and blinked his eyes.

"Because I'm very happy to have you two in my life," Wanda explained stroking his cheek but from his look she knew that his question wasn't answered.

"You know…sometimes people also cry when they're very happy," Cosmo tried to explain as the lump in Wanda's throat didn't allow her to speak.

"That sounds complicated," Timmy commented frowning. Wanda saw that he was brooding on something again when his gaze wandered over the breakfast table. "Do you want some hot chocolate?"

Wanda smiled as this was one more thing she often said when Timmy was upset because according to her own words chocolate made "everything better".

"Yes, honey. I'd love to," she answered and one smile later Timmy walked with Wanda's mug in his hands to the other end of the table where he carefully took the full pot of hot chocolate to fill Wanda's mug. A single tear flowed down her face.

Meanwhile she felt how Cosmo's arms tightened around her body and carefully he placed his chin on her wounded shoulder.

"You know…if you want to…we can still talk when we're back from Adrenaland," he suggested in a low voice and Wanda appreciated his concern.

"Yes…I think that'll be good," she gently gave back for she knew that she'd feel a lot better when all these things going through her mind were said. For the most part she'd be the one talking but mostly Cosmo helped Wanda a lot already by just listening and being there for her. "Sorry for causing so much trouble."

"Oh well, sometimes Timmy and I can also fix the mess instead of causing it," Cosmo jested and Wanda laughed briefly.

"Here's your hot chocolate," Timmy announced when he had made his way back with the full mug in his hand. Carefully Wanda took it out of his hands and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks a lot, darling," she replied. Wanda wiped dry her face and cleared her throat. "Now we really should have breakfast. We had plans, remember?"

"Oh, right! Adrenaland!" Timmy exclaimed and a grin spread on his face. But then he turned to Wanda again and his facial expression turned a little worried. "And you're okay again?"

"Yes," she assured him, smiled and took his hand. "Thanks to your good care. But to make the day perfect I need to ride roller-coasters with you and Cosmo, eat lots of food and stroking your bellies in the end of the day because you had too much of both. How does that sound?"

Timmy returned her grin.

"Awesome!" he answered and walked to his seat to sit down there.

However, Cosmo didn't let go of her yet. Wanda knew why, placed her palm on his hands on her belly and looked at him. The smile she gave him was honest and sincere.

"I'm all right," she assured him caressing his lips. "You can let go now."

After a short look to the side he turned his gaze on her again. Unlike a little earlier Wanda knew that he saw the truth in her smile and returned it.

"Okay," he finally answered, loosened the grip around her and sat down on his own chair. "Hey Timmy, leave me something of the cream cheese," Cosmo remarked when he saw how Timmy was spreading the cream cheese on both halves of his first bun.

"Never! It's with herbs!" Timmy replied keeping the little carton as close to himself as possible.

"I know, that's the point!" Cosmo answered and started arguing and jesting about the cream cheese, which made Wanda laugh.

When she raised her mug to her lips it wasn't only the hot chocolate which gave her a warm feeling inside. It was watching her husband and godson joking, having fun and simply being themselves.

Before Cosmo and Wanda had been assigned to Timmy his life had been awful and no one had cared. Since the three of them were together he had become a lot more self-confident and happier thanks to the love and all the adventures they shared. The latter usually ended every time the same way: that Wanda had to save Cosmo and Timmy. Although it was a nerve-racking piece of work she somehow enjoyed it. Although she didn't doubt that Cosmo would also make a good single godparent she knew that his carefreeness would bring them into serious trouble really soon if she wasn't always there to interfere.

It became clear to Wanda that if she wasn't there to save her boys and nag them regularly Timmy's life might become the nightmare it had once been and for nothing in the world she'd let this happen.

Wanda had an important task. Her boys needed her. That job was too important to let her father change something about it.

"I'm completely stuffed!" Timmy and Cosmo uttered simultaneously after they had consumed their breakfast and Wanda chuckled.

"You know, every time I hear saying that I find you near the fridge one hour later," she commented and took the last gulp of her second mug of hot chocolate. "Anyhow, we really should get going. If we clean the kitchen together we'll be finished quickly."

"I have an idea! I wish the kitchen was cleaned," Timmy replied.

"Not so good idea," Cosmo contradicted. "The three trips to Australia in the last four days needed a lot of magic. We have to be thrifty for the rest of the week."

Timmy sighed when he leaned back his head.

"That is so not cool," he answered. "But okay."

"It won't take that much time," Wanda assured him smiling, let her mug sink on the table, stood up and collected all their plates to bring them to the dishwasher. With a lot of jokes and laughs they placed all the knifes, spoons, mugs, glasses and other pieces in the dishwasher and while Wanda turned it on Cosmo and Timmy put the foods back into the fridge and the cupboards. When she was about to push the final button she felt how Cosmo stepped behind her and pressed himself closer to her than necessary to put the marmalade back into the cupboard above her.

Wanda chuckled when he put his arms around her waist from behind and leaned against his chest. He nuzzled up against her hair and then kissed her neck. Tenderly his lips also wandered over her shoulder where the fresh scratches Wanda had caused herself were hidden underneath her pyjama top and her morning gown. It was a good feeling for Wanda that Cosmo knew about her wounds and that he treated them carefully.

She turned around and hugged him as well. Gingerly she cupped his face and looked into his trusting eyes. Ever since they had met he had known about her self-harm and he had never judged her in any way. He had never tried to force her to stop or told her that it was a sick thing to do. He had fallen in love with her for the person she was and unlike her father Cosmo's love wasn't bound to the condition that she had to fit into the world he had made up. When there was a problem he would never look away because he didn't want to have any problem in their life together. He didn't want her to hide her anger, sadness, especially not the wounds she had inflicted on herself.

"Thank you," she whispered and then kissed him tenderly. In a certain way it was soothing for Wanda that she had chosen a husband her father despised. Nothing and no one that fit into her father's perfect world could possibly be able to make her really happy. But Cosmo didn't fit and neither did Wanda. What they shared was reality and no lie, no faked smile.

Lost in their kiss she pressed herself closer to Cosmo and caressed his neck. But then they were interrupted when Timmy poked them with a spoon.

"Will you stop that!" he commanded. "I said: No more lovey-dovey-ness! Stop it!"

"Just five more minutes," Cosmo answered winking and pressed his lips against Wanda's again.

"Noooo!" Timmy interrupted, forced himself between them and then stretched out his arms to separate Cosmo and Wanda. "No more smooching! I don't tolerate it! As long as your fish bowl stands on _my _bedside table you stay away from _her_!" He looked at Cosmo and then turned to Wanda. "And you stay away from _him_!"

Wanda chuckled cheerfully.

"Oh, Cosmo…seems like we have to bow," she admitted and Cosmo sighed sadly.

"All right, Pops. We surrender," he answered raising his hands.

"You better do," Timmy emphasized, narrowed his eyes and then poked Cosmo and Wanda again while speaking. "I swear, the next time we meet Jorgen I'll ask him to establish a new rule which says: Godparents are forbidden to make out in front of their godchildren!"

Wanda gave a hearty laugh, put one arm around Timmy, placed his head on her chest and kissed his hair. When she stretched out her other arm Cosmo joined the hug and Wanda enjoyed every moment of it. But she loosened the embrace after a short time again for she knew that they had plans.

"Timmy, would you please wipe the table and Cosmo, you sweep the floor, please," she asked them and finally turned on the dishwasher. "I'll go upstairs and make our bed. I'll make yours too, Timmy…"

"You know…why don't you go and have a shower already? We can manage this alone. Right, Timmy?" Cosmo suggested tousling his godson's hair.

"Of course," he answered smiling. "And we won't let anything explode. Promise!"

Wanda laughed when she leaned against the counter behind her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Cosmo let his eyes wander over the kitchen.

"All sharp and explosive things are already packed away, so…yes," he replied winking. "Besides you always need the most time in the bathroom anyway, woman."

Wanda raised her eyebrows.

"When you don't start eating your _pancake face and blush,_ that is," she added with a sly grin and while Timmy chuckled Cosmo and Wanda's eyes met again.

The look he gave Wanda let her know that this wasn't just supposed to be nice gesture. Although Cosmo wouldn't be able to put it in words that quickly she knew that he tried to show her that unlike her father they were ready and willing to give Wanda a time out whenever she needed it. She didn't have to work like a clock, it was okay if they took over each other's tasks in times of need. The pressure of constant perfection was something she didn't have to bow to any more.

"All right then," Wanda agreed and kissed Timmy's forehead. "And remember: No explosions."

She also went towards Cosmo and wanted to kiss him as well but Timmy stopped her by clearing his throat louder than necessary. After a brief laugh she gave Cosmo a kiss on his cheek and one more smile before she walked towards the doorway arch.

While Cosmo and Timmy started tidying up the kitchen Wanda turned around again and leaned her head against the door frame.

As she watched Cosmo and Timmy she became clear about how lucky she was to have those two in her life. She knew more than anything else that she loved them for being her boys, for making her facepalm regularly, for bringing the special character of insanity to her life which kept her young, for supporting her, for making her laugh every day and for giving her big hugs. When her father would attack her now there would be one big difference: Unlike all the years before Wanda didn't only fight for herself. Now she was fighting for her godson and her husband. Just thinking about how her father might make her loved ones suffer caused Wanda tremendous wrath which let her know that she'd fight like a lioness to protect them. No matter what her father tried, nothing would stop her. She knew his ways and no trick would make her the naïve and gullible little girl again who had endured everything her father wanted. These times were over.

Still when she thought about her father there was something she felt much stronger than anger: pity.

What she shared with her boys was based on trust and love and it was so much deeper than she thought her father could ever imagine. He didn't understand that there were also relationships which didn't involve fights for power. She pitied her mother for being bound to a man who would never treat her equally and with respect. Deep inside Wanda had always known that her family wasn't as perfect as it had seemed. A part of her wished that also her parents and her sister would finally see that but they never would.

Wanda sighed. There was no sense in trying to make people see things they didn't want to see. By building up her life in a different way she had already achieved something that her parents never would: Happiness.

Her hand slid over her wounded shoulder. These scratches were definitely not irrelevant but at the same time Wanda knew that she had seen worse. Once not only her shoulders but both of her arms had been covered with bleeding scratch wounds and every touch, every move, every shower had hurt terribly. At some point she had even scratched her legs, sometimes even her whole body. But back then she had been alone and no one had seen or cared about her misery.

Compared to what she had suffered after breaking with her family the few scratches on her shoulder now were no reason to worry. Her situation now was completely different from back then. Thanks to her boys.

Her gaze wandered over Cosmo. He had been the reason why she had consciously started trying to evade scratching herself and finding other ways of venting her emotions. She hadn't wanted it to hurt when he stroke her, she had wanted him to caress healthy arms and shoulders and not her ugly and disfigured skin. Even these deep and numerous wounds had healed again and so would the few scratches on her shoulder.

_Daddy doesn't hold my fate in his hands. It's in my own._

In mind she repeated that fact, which she easily forgot, again and again. It wasn't like Wanda didn't wish that their relationship was different. She did a lot. But she didn't fool herself and she knew that sometimes relationships were beyond saving. This was exactly the case and instead of wasting more time on something that couldn't be repaired she wanted to focus on her loved ones.

"Didn't you want to have a shower?" Cosmo interrupted her thoughts with the broom in his hands. Wanda needed a moment to get used to the real world again. "Don't worry, nothing has exploded!"

"Yet," Timmy added when he turned from the kitchen sink to his godfather again with a wet cleaning rag in his hands.

"Not helping, kid," Cosmo muttered.

Wanda laughed.

"I just thought about…" she began but when she thought about how to continue the sentence she realised that she wanted to focus on the here and now. "Well, never mind. I'm going now. See you in a little while!"

After waving and seeing her boys waving back at her she turned around and headed towards the stairs. She knew that there was no need for more brooding. She'd go and prepare for a wonderful day with her boys of which there had already been many and of which there'd be many more in the future.

Wanda had made up her mind.

For nothing in the world she'd let her father destroy her beloved family.

With a happy smile she went upstairs.

* * *

What Wanda didn't know was that far away from her Keith was hoping desperately that her old teddy bear Mister Cookie and the photo of her childhood would remind Wanda of how much he had always loved her and that he still did. The last he wanted to do was destroying more in her life than he already had and for which he already hated himself more than anyone.

The moment he had sent the package away he had begged some higher power to let his daughter see how sorry he was for his selfishness and how much pain it had caused Wanda in her life. In a timid and clumsy attempt he had wanted to ask his daughter for forgiveness for everything he had done to her, for all the mistakes he had made.

The symbol of his desire of reconciliation was now lying on Cosmo and Wanda's attic where it would gather dust for many years. The affectionate memories connected to Mister Cookie and the old photo, which he had wanted to pass on to his daughter would be pushed away into a lonely corner and soon they'd be forgotten by Wanda but not by her father.

For months he'd be hoping for a visit, a call, a letter, at least an SMS or an e-mail, if not for him, then for her mother or her sister. But there'd be absolutely no reaction from Wanda's side. His hope would die slowly and cruelly and when it had finally perished it'd leave him alone with more pain and loneliness than ever.

Wanda didn't sense any of this – and when she'd find out about her father's real intention maybe it'd be too late already.

**THE END**

* * *

_That's it. __If you like my stories and if you want to know more about the Fairywinkle family feel free to take a look at __my new story: "A cure?"_ _The first chapter is up already._

_By for now. Love, peace and ice cream to all of you!_


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